When Ends Meet
by gaia09
Summary: Ben has been having weird dreams lately. Dreams that recalls and reconnects his mistake in the past to his guilt. Caden has come out of her weak shell to become a girl with a mission. And Mandy's going to make all ends meet.
1. Chapter 1: Ben

**(A/N) Yeah, I know you're already... impatient. Yeah.... writer's block bunnies are attacking me and some plot bunnies are pinning me down, begging me to do this already. I'm sure you all understand... (gets tomatoes at face) Yeah. You do.**

**Anyway... on with this, and now it's under Fusion Fall. A game I got hitched in. Blah. So there.**

**....gaia09....**

**My apologies.**

* * *

**Chapter One:**

**Ben**

_"Dang it!" he cursed. "Why does Numbuh 5 even want me here?!" Being the ten year old that he was, he was whiny, irresponsible and has a knack of hating work. He stopped, looked up, panting. He felt his own sweat wet the back of his shirt. Small beads were falling at the sides of his face. He could feel the cold chilly air around him somewhat slowly suffocating him._

_He found his hand going to his right ear, pressing a button and began speaking. "Numbuh 5! When am I gonna get out of here?" he said in his usual whiny tone. He was impatient. __Too__ impatient._

_"When you find the Fusion Ben and stop it!" came a buzzy, crisp noise from his earpiece. Ben sighed in exasperation then groaned impatiently. "Don't whine you little kid!"_

_"Fine!" Ben said. He raked his brown hair and began running. "This is going to be a long night... Why couldn't you have just given me the coordinates?"_

_He heard Numbuh 5 sigh in her mic. "As Numbuh 2 said, the tracking device is broken."_

_Ben scoffed. "You could've asked for Dexter's help."_

_"I could fix it by myself, thank you!" he heard Numuh 2's proud statement on his earpiece._

_He was about to make another rather sassy statement to the two KND cooperatives when he heard a high pitched scream just about the corner. "Hold up, I think I found him" he said through his mic._

_"Roger that. Good luck, Benjamin"_

_He ran through the dark alley just where he heard the scream. "I hope my Fusion partner's ready 'cause he's gonna get the greatest butt-kicking of his Fusion life," he smirked. He looked at his left hand and fixed his gazed at the very particular watch that sat proudly on his wrist. He clicked on a button as a little pillar-like button had come up. He began picking from his aliens and when he had found the right alien, he slammed the button back as a green light enveloped him._

He screamed.

He sat up on his bed, looking all sweaty and stuff. His brown hair was soaked in his own perspiration and so was his black shirt. Ben, the now responsible, less-whiney, and more hardworking fifteen year old Ben, sat up on his bed. He raked through his wet hair and panted as if he's own life depended on it. (No duh!)

"I don't even want to remember it," he groaned, taking his head by his now cold clammy hands.

"Ben?"

He took a deep breath before he could notice a familiar red-head entering his room. Light began to pour in the cold dark room as a shadow overlapped his tired figure.

"Ben," the red-head had said. "Are you alright? I was coming here to see you but I heard screaming."

Ben sighed. "I'm fine Gwen."

Gwen sat down beside his confused figure. Gwen had also grown in a matter of five years. She grew her hair to her waist and grew more intellectually mature and fit.

"Well," she began, crossing her arms. "The meeting's going to be ready in a matter of minutes," she looked at her cousin, sweaty and tired, and continued. "You better get there quick. Mandy's not--"

"Yeah, yeah I know" Ben butted in. "Mandy's not a patient person." Gwen stood up, still arms crossed and looked at Ben who was getting up. "I'll be out in a minute."

Gwen smiled a small smile and headed to the automatic sliding door. Before she could leave, she took a glance at her cousin.

"I'm beginning to worry about you, Ben..."

Ben only continued to take off his black shirt and look for another one.

"You're acting pretty awkward these days." With her final statement, she stepped out.

The room was once again basked in darkness. Ben headed towards the bathroom, topless and all, and looked at the mirror. He looked at himself. His face was beginning to shape and his shoulders broader. He observed himself but a searing pain in his head had disrupted his observation.

_"You know that you're not supposed to be here. You're too young to be here."_

_"I...I'm sorry..."_

Ben groaned. If his body only worked like the Omnitrix, man oh man would he come up to Dexter and asked for a check-up. Well, at least he wished it so he could stop it once and for all. He turned the faucet knob as cold water fell from the faucet. He cupped for water, and splashed his face a lot of times to stop the searing pain. His hand then led itself to the towels. He grabbed it hastily and rubbed his face dry.

When he came into the room again, he took a clean shirt and hastily put it on. He didn't have the time to properly groom himself since he knew well, _very_ well at the least, that Mandy wasn't a big fan of patience. Obviously, she hasn't heard that patience is, and always has been, a virtue. He just grabbed his usual green jacket and headed to the door.

"Hey Ben!"

"Good afternoon Ben!"

"'Sup Ben?"

Those were the first three greetings that his ears picked up. And those voices were obvious to him and it was obvious that it belonged to the well-known girl group of the team, The Powerpuff Girls.

"Afternoon?" Ben had questioned himself. Even if he did have a watch, it wasn't your usual everyday watch. "Wow, I must've had a very long sleep..."

"Hey Ben!" Ben snapped out of his trance to find himself facing the toughest girl Earth has ever known (well, somebody had said it to him). Buttercup was hovering three feet away from him, wearing her usual frown. "Are you going to get your butt into that meeting or what?" Buttercup snapped.

"Yeah, I'm getting there," Ben snapped back, his tone obvious of the whining manner.

"Ok.." Buttercup said, as she flew away, leaving a bright green streak on the path she took.

"BUT I'M TELLING YOU, YOU'LL BE SORRY IF YOU'RE LATE!!" came an echo of Buttercup's voice.

Ben began making a promise to himself that he won't be late for _any_ meeting, seeing that he was late for the past meetings held. No one liked Mandy when she was mad.

He squeezed himself through the large crowd that formed at the meeting hall. He had bumped into several people familiar to him and most of then shot back at him. He was busy doing some squeezing when...

"Tennyson!" Ben had looked up to the platform to see an angry Mandy. A _very_ angry Mandy.

"You're late!"

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**So.... how was that for a first? Soooo... anyway, comment and please do some corrections when needed. Don't flame please.**


	2. Chapter 2: Short Black Hair

**So yeah... thanks for the first few good reviews. So yeah. Here's the next chapter.**

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**Chapter Two:**

**Short Black Hair**

Ben looked up to the platform and met Mandy's gaze. He observed the details on her face, grey orbs, pouting lips, small nose (some consider that she looks like she doesn't have a nose from afar), and those undeceivable eyebrows that always arch forward. Only this time, they have arched farther than they have before to the point they could almost connect. (funny how I say it)

Mandy had said it once and a thousand times and she will say it again. "Tennyson, in my office, after the meeting," she said. "And don't be late!" Her glare grew angrier as she said it.

"Man," Ben whispered.

"Manipulative _and_ sassy," a boy's voice sprung beside him. Ben looked at his left and found Eddy, a greedy boy who would do anything for money... or a jawbreaker at the least. "I should try it sometime."

Ben scowled. "She sounds more of a broken record to me," he whispered back.

"Maybe you children should shut your yaps up before _**I**_ sound like a broken record to you!" a man in black with a pipe had threatened them.

"Maybe _you_ should shut your yap up, Father" Mandy said coolly and calmly. "I give the orders around here." She continued as she turned her back to the crowd. The crowd could see her push her hand in her pocket and and successfully bring out a remote control. Her finger gingerly pushed a button as a large TV screen inched down from the ceiling.

Mandy began to press another button as the screen flashed the words "Operation: Fusion Fall"; below it the words "Recruits of the Year" can be seen. The crowd had silenced down as they watched the screen flash some bio-datas of different children.

"It has been five years since the advent of Fuse his minions," Mandy said without taking her eyes off the monitor and her thumb off the button. "So we'll be needing all the help we can get..." her eyes had caught a glance of her friend (from the start) Billy. "...even if it means we'll have to recruit an idiot."

"These are the recruits of the year..."

Ben (though late) studied the different children. Even if he is late, he was still attentive to the meetings held. But all his attention had focused on a girl as she was flashed on the screen. Again, his head ached from remembering yet another incident...

_Diamondhead tried to run as fast as his legs can. Even if he did look determined on the outside, he was getting more and more nervous in the inside. And the screams he was hearing wasn't helping. He finally came down an alley and saw his Fusion self about to attack a helpless child without mercy._

_The Petrosapien was in time to block the attack with his crystal arms. He glanced at the little kid (and not so much to his surprise a little girl) and saw that fear was etched all over her face. He's got to admit to himself that even if he wasn't a fan of observing, he had observed the major and obvious traits of the little girl._

_One was her short black hair._

"Ben? Ben! Hey, Ben, are you alright?"

"Nng..." Ben just said. He had looked to where the voice was coming from. He had met gazes with his friend, Kevin. Ben had found out a little later that the meeting had been over and all the people were leaving. His head was still throbbing with pain but it slowly faded away as he focused himself on talking to Kevin. "I...I'm fine."

"Hey," Kevin said, crossing his arms. "Aren't you supposed to be in _somebody_'s office right about now?"

Ben snapped out, suddenly forgetting his headache and suddenly remembering the little meeting that he and Mandy were supposed to have. "Oh man," Ben had said, with head still aching but barely noticing. He started running away.

"Good luck!" Kevin called after. After which, he sighed and walked away, saying to himself. "He'll be needing it..."

Ben, with his head still aching, ran through the familiar hallway. Yeah. He knew where he was going, he went through here a lot of times, almost memorizing the directions. "I have no time for running!" he said to himself, instead, he activated his watch and picked the alien that could suit best in his hurry. Afterall, **no one** liked an angry Mandy, considering what had happened a while ago. When he had picked, he slammed his Omnitirx and a bright green light enveloped him.

* * *

Her hand hovered over the glass of the picture frame that sat atop of the picture inside. She looked at the picture and her finger started rubbing lightly on the blonde boy in it. She sighed, and looked afar. Sunset. Mostly, she enjoyed it but today and almost everyday for the whole last year, it was a reminder that it was the end of another day without her brother.

"Hey... Caden."

Caden Tearheart looked from the sunset to where the voice was coming from. "Hey Matt," Caden sighed, her face looking gloomy. She sat under a usual tree. She does it all the time when she feels sad, lonely or just plain lazy.

Matt Mitchells had poked his head from the back of the tree. He made his way to the empty side of the girl. He looked at her, observing every detail. She had a beautiful long hair that she always tied it to a big ponytail on the left of her head (like pigtails only thing is there is one). Her eyes seemed always cold, but her gaze towards him made him melt inside. She wore a big green jacket with a yellow inner shirt inside. The green choker that rode around her neck made it looked like it was impossible to breathe. She wore a baggy blue pair of shorts and green camouflage-designed boots. In any way, Matt Mitchells always had a heart for Caden (though he rarely shows it).

Caden glanced at the brown-haired boy beside him. She scowled, her eyebrows began to arch in annoyance. "What are you looking at?" she asked rather rudely.

Matt chuckled. "Nothing," he said.

They stared together at the setting sun. Caden rested her head on her left hand that rested on her thigh. Matt glanced at the girl then fixed his gaze on the picture frame she was holding. "You need any help finding your brother?" he offered.

Without returning eye contact, her scowl furrowed further. "I work alone."

Matt sighed. Seeing as he couldn't do anything to please the girl (like always), he stood up and smiled at her (even if she could not see it). "Well, dinner will be ready in a few minutes---"

"I'll come in later," was her fast response.

"Mmkay," Matt hummed, leaving. "I'll see you around." He heard the girl grumble an annoyed "bye".

* * *

"Ben, Ben, Ben," Mandy cooly said as her chair swivelled to face the panting boy. "I'm not really surprised to find you late...again."

"I...." Ben panted, trying to catch his breath. "I...I'm so...sorry."

Mandy sighed, pivoting to turn away from the boy again. She had found it amusing (not fun) that she had her own chair in her own office. "What happened to you..." she said, taking a glance at him. "...Benjamin?"

Her tone made Ben more intimidated. And her office environment didn't help. Obviously, Mandy liked dim-lighted rooms and the only light that comes in the room was from the windows that were covered by blinds.

"I...I'd rather not tell..." Ben said, hesitant to say the truth.

"Well," Mandy said, her chair still facing the older boy. "I'm not forcing the truth out of you." Ben was rather surprised of what the younger girl said.

"So... you're letting me go?" Ben asked.

"Why not?" Mandy sighed. "What's the use of keeping you here anyway?"

Ben was surprised and pleased at the same time.

"But if I encounter this incident again... I swear your punishment will be more severe than you'll ever think it will be."

The older boy was now surprised, pleased and afraid at the same time. "Ooohkaaay..." he said, exaggerating the word. Ben left after that, relieved that that session was over.

When Mandy was sure that Benjamin Tennyson had made it out and away from the office, she reached for the intercom.

"Mrs. Warthog, please send for Gwendolyn Tennyson in my office."

* * *

**So how was that for a second. I cannot promise that I'll update on the right time but I think I'll be updating on this more often than not.**

**So... review!! NO FLAMES!! Thank you!! God bless and have a nice day!! ^.^**


	3. Chapter 3: Mayhem in Dinnertime

**So thank you for the reviews so yeah, thanks. Here's the next. I don't know if I should keep this longer or not. So here.**

**Oh yeah... Disclaimer: (sigh) If I owned Fusion Fall, I would have taken out the darned "Unlimited Access" thingy. Phooey... :(**

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**Chapter 3:**

**Mayhem in Dinnertime**

"Caden...?"

Light began to pour in the dark room as the automatic door opened. When it closed, it was again basked in darkness. The girl looked up to find another girl. Even in the dark, Caden had memorized her features, brunette and her hair was tied up in a weird hairdo, she sported pink clothes and she had beautiful pink eyes.

"Caden..." the brunette began. "...dinner's ready. Aren't you coming?"

Caden sighed. "Okay," she said, looking at her. "I'll follow, Rosemarie."

Rosemarie shrugged. "Whatever you say..." she said. The automatic door slid open. She glanced back at her roommate and arched a brow. "Are you sure?--"

"I'm sure," Caden replied quickly, almost whining. She waited for Rosemarie to leave. The door slid closed, and the faint footsteps began to fade.

Caden's black hair had been loose while she was in the room. Her hair began to fall off her shoulders and to the sides of her face. She hated her long hair, that's one thing to begin. She wanted to cut it off and return to her hair back when she was eight.

"Aaargh..." Caden groaned and went from sitting on the bed to lying down on the bed. She buried her face into her pillow and tried to dismiss the thought that almost entered her mind (I'm not saying what though). She sighed and scurried her face further.

"Hey."

Caden looked up to see Matt entering the room. Usually, the door made a swooshing sound but Caden didn't hear it swoosh. She had always wondered why it took people's voices to clear her mind up.

Matt had his hands buried in his pocket as he entered. He eyed the lying girl, hair all messy and all and her body definitely showed she was tired. "Rosemarie said you'll follow..." he started. He wasn't half-surprised (or wholly surprised at all) that the girl started to face the pillow and grumble beneath it.

"...Leave me alone..." his ears picked up.

"A girl's gotta eat, y'know," he countered.

"Shut up..." a muffled response came.

Matt sometimes liked this so he smiled. He thought it was cute, Caden, on the other hand didn't. "I _could_ bring you some food if you want to," Matt offered.

"Nooooo...." he heard Caden whine.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to eat?" Matt asked, beginning to worry by the second.

"Fine, fine!" Caden grunted, getting off her lying position and sat on the bed. "I'll go to dinner if it makes you leave!" Caden had her hair all over the place, her face was angrier than ever, mixed with a little hint of annoyed. "Well?"

Matt raised his hands in the air. "I'll leave..." said he as he exited the room.

* * *

The cafeteria was filled with a lot of children of all ages. Be it newbies, top dogs, or guides. Whenever it was dinner, lunch, or breakfast, children never failed to attend. It was one thing all children agreed to. Sometimes, the cafeteria was so crowded that most children found it annoying. Though at the same time, it was a good social workout to them.

...Most of them to be exact.

"Look who came to dinner, girls," a high-pitched insult came to Caden's ears as she picked up a muffin from the food table. She looked at where it was coming from.

A band of girls were standing three feet away from her face. Caden's face grew angrier. One of the girls was her roommate, Rosemarie. Rosemarie was nice and all but she got mixed with the wrong crowd. A really wrong crowd.

Caden looked away and moved to get a bottle of water. "What do you want... Michelle?" she asked coldly.

"Is that any way to respond to a greeting, Caden?" Michelle Lightfeather asked with a hint of lady-like. "You know, little ladies shouldn't act like boys." Obviously she didn't have a great love of boys. "And what is up with your clothes? Eew..."

Caden inhaled deeply and exhaled. She turned to look at the blonde straight in the eye. "I've been here in a year, Michelle. Why are you fretting over my clothes now?" she asked cockily.

"Ladies don't wear shorts..." Michelle said, raising a brow. "No wait, don't say anything. Your boyish instincts have grown on you, that's why."

"Caden," Matt whispered behind Caden. Worry got the best of Matt. "She's not worth it."

Caden took her tray and looked at her. "You're not worth it Michelle," she ended. "There's nothing to fight about."

"You're right," Michelle countered, her eyebrows growing lower to the point her face looked devious. "You're not worth it either. C'mon, girls." She signalled her band, turned around and began to go.

Anger took over the thirteen year old girl. People usually say when anger takes the most part of you, you begin to lose your inner conscience, your willpower and yourself. All what Caden could think of now was that she **badly** wanted to rip the head out of her body, rip her into shreds or morsels, or whatever came first. It was anger that took Caden's thinking now. Grabbing the muffin earlier, she threw it at Michelle without thinking what the consequences would be.

* * *

"Hey Dex," Ben greeted, putting the platter of food down. "What's up?"

The orange-haired genius looked from his heavily framed black-glasses and to his friend. "Hey Ben," he greeted back, then returned to his paperwork. "I'll never get that phrase of yours ever in my life..."

Ben paused a minute from taking a bite from his apple. "What phrase?"

Dexter didn't pause as he continued scribbling on his notes, looking from one plan to another. "The 'what's up?' phrase..." he answered with his usual accent.

"It means," Ben responded with a little wave in his voice, and he had said it a thousand times to one boy. "What are you doing or something like that." He returned to his food and eyed the bespectacled boy. He grabbed his hand on one of his papers and asked, "What's this?"

Dexter paused to look at the older boy, rather surprised. "Get your hands off of that!" he said, reaching his glove-covered hands to the boy. "It's confidential and by confidential I mean not to be looked upon by people like you!!"

Ben's hands went away from Dexter's reach. They swayed to and fro just to avoid Dexter. "Aaw..." Ben whined. "Don't you trust your _best_ friend?"

Dexter stopped, his face showed annoyance but not anger. "I trust you, Ben, it's just that..." he said, his voice trailing off.

"Just what?" Ben said, giving his smirk that annoyed Dexter to the core.

Just then, they heard a screech not far from here. Everybody had turned their heads and attention to the direction where it was from. Dexter and Ben had stopped their petty little fight and had their attention where everyone else's were. Around the two friends, people started to vacate. Just like sheep following shepherd, Ben and Dexter had done the same.

"HOW COULD YOU...you...RRRRGH!!!"

Ben and Dexter had reached the place, surprised to see what had happened. Food was scattered all over the floor, two girls were five feet away from each other, one of the girls, a blonde, was screeching, the other one, a black-haired girl was angry, still holding her platter of food. A crushed muffin was five inches away from the blonde.

"Who knew a catfight would attract this large crowd..." Ben asked rhetorically.

"Oh yeah!" Dexter looked at his right to find Numbuh four obviously enjoying the fight. "Let's see these two girls fight!!"

Ben knew he had to do something or he might find himself being told off by Mandy again (like 'why didn't you stop the fight' or something like that). He watched as the blonde began to lunge into the other girl but was quickly stopped by a pair of gloved hands.

Yes, Ben was shocked that his friend, Dexter, _the _Boy Genius, had stopped the blonde by getting in front of the girl and held her shoulders. He double checked his side to see if Dexter wasn't there and Dexter wasn't there. Dexter was **in** the fight.

"Lemme get her!! Lemme get her!!" shouted Michelle. Dexter held her shoulders as tight as he can.

Ben had joined in and held the other girl. "What are you doing?!" demanded Caden.

"This fight has gone through enough!" Ben bellowed.

"SHE THREW A CUPCAKE AT ME!!" Michelle shouted while Dexter gave her a weird look of doubt.

"IT WAS A MUFFIN!! A **MUFFIN**!!" Caden shouted back.

Ben began to hold Caden by the collar of her jacket causing her food to spill all over the place. "I don't care if it was a cupcake or a muffin, just don't start a fight again!" he demanded, meeting Caden eye to eye. He had an angry look on his face, rarely seen on him though, while Caden had her angry face again, usual to the girl.

"Make me, pretty boy..." Caden glared at Ben, fighting as if she was of the same age as he is. Ben knew that that was an insult she made and it made him angrier.

"Calm down Ben and put the girl down." A command had come up. Both parties looked at where it was coming from and found the people were paving way for Mandy. Ben did as he was told and gently let go of the girl.

"You..." Mandy said, pointing first to Caden then her hand led to Michelle's now calmed-body. "... and you. You are dismissed and therefore shall go back to your rooms. The rest of you..." her eyes narrowed and she looked around, pausing. And with a disappointed tone she said, "...get back to where you were."

* * *

"Hey Caden," Matt said, entering the now-lighted bedroom of hers. "I got this food from the cafeteria for you. I talked to the people, it's cool." He eyed the girl sitting on her bunk of the double-decker, the lower one.

"I see..." Caden said, uninterested.

Matt sighed and settled the food tray on the desk beside the double-decker. He grabbed a chair and sat in front of the girl. "What you did out there..." he began. "...it was wrong."

Caden pressed her legs nearer to her chest, then looking away. "Why do you care? You're not even my brother."

"I know," Matt sighed. He leaned back on his side and crossed his arms.

"Matt," Caden asked with a small voice. Matt looked at the girl, surprised that she had called him by his name for the first time in a year. "...I'm sorry."

Matt untangled his arms and leaned nearer. "Sorry for what?"

"For the way I treated you..." she said, she was also surprised at what she said too, even if she _did_ mean it. She started to look at him straight in the eye. Well, you know what they say, there's always a first time for everything.

"...You treated me well," Caden began. "You worry over me, you always checked on how I was doing, even if you were on a mission. You helped me take care of my nanos. And you..."

Matt listened all the way but was surprised when she stopped her litany. He didn't bother cutting her off and so he just let her think for a while. An awkward pause arose between the two. Just then, he could hear faint sniffs. Very faint sniffs.

"And you treated me as a friend," Caden finished, sniffing. Matt eyed the girl's face. Tears were on both sides of her cheeks and he didn't like it even for a second.

"Don't apologize," Matt said, taking a tissue and handing it to the crying girl. He smiled at her and for the first time seen by Caden. Caden looked at the tissue on his hand then eyeing the boy who was offering it.

All time had seemed to stop as Matt's mind flew out of his head. He didn't know how long or how short the moment was. Before he knew it, he had found Caden hugging him, crying on his shirt. He didn't care how wet his shirt was though. All he cared about was his friend, his crying friend seeking comfort from a guy he recently hated.

* * *

Ben had been lying down on his bed, thinking and rethinking his recent dreams. A while back, he didn't want to remember such event but he wanted to remember now and think that that it was somewhat connected with his emotions, seeing as how it has played with his with such ease.

He heard the automatic door slide open. He didn't expect Dexter to turn-in in such a wee hour. It wasn't even Dexter at all though. He propped himself on his elbows and looked at the standing figure before him.

"Hey Gwen," he greeted, eyeing his cousin's petite figure from the higher bunk of the double-decker. "What's up?"

"Ben," Gwen began, meeting his gaze. "Can I sleep in your room just this night?"

"Why? What's wrong with yours?" Ben asked, now on his Indian-sit position. "Last time I checked, you said Juniper's a great roommate."

"Juniper's great and all but every eleven forty-five, DeeDee comes into the room, asking if she could sleep in ours. Seeing that she has a hard time sleeping with Lalavava and Juniper being understanding at all, she accepts. Then I pity Juniper in the morning to find her all washed up even after a good night's sleep."

Ben had propped his head on his cradling arm. "Makes sense to me," he replied. He started to lie down on the bed again, looking at the ceiling. "You can have Dexter's. He rarely sleeps on it anyway, so no worries."

Gwen made herself comfortable in Dexter's bed even though it wasn't like hers. Then, she heard Ben say, "That girl's _gotta_ have to have a new roommate..."

Gwen chuckled at his opinion and smiled. "Yeah."

* * *

"Ben, Ben! Wake up!"

Ben had waken up from his another episode of his past and tried in vain to look at the blurry figure beside him. He began to settle himself on his sitting position. He rubbed his eyes for better vision and found Gwen holding on to the ladder that led to his bunk. "Gwen...?" he called.

"You were having a bad dream, what's wrong?"

* * *

**So yeah and there you go. I think, so far this has been the longest chapter I've ever typed in this series. So yeah, by now you have memorized my expectations from you.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!! X3 Please honestly tell me of what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4: Reed

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Not much to say so on with the next chapter

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**Reed**

"Her name was Reed... and I let her down..."

Ben ended telling Gwen his dream. Both were sitting on Ben's bunk. Gwen couldn't say anything to comfort him. Ben had been sweating real hard and basing on it, he had a horrible time standing his dream. Gwen could only look at her feet and think.

"I think..." Gwen started. "...that your dream is connected to your guilt." She didn't think if it was a good idea to say that to him considering Ben was in a bad state.

"My... guilt?" Ben asked.

Gwen looked at her cousin. "Well yeah," Gwen responded, she looked ahead of her and continued. "I mean because you made a promise of returning her back safely and the... mistake... happened, I guess you must've felt guilty because of that and your dreams kept reminding you of it."

Ben looked at his feet. "But why now?" he asked. "Why is it only now that it's coming back at me?"

"I don't know," Gwen stated simply. She sighed and jumped off the bunk.

"Where are you going?" Ben asked, alarmed.

Gwen looked at her cousin. "I'm going back to sleep," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "And you should too. You may be scared that your dreams might come back but you should be brave and stand it. Find out how you can stop it."

He watched as his cousin disappeared beneath him. He heard a simple good night from her and silence once again filled the room. Ben sighed and knew that Gwen was right. You can't just hide from your problems, you have to stand up to it and turn it around. He smiled at the thought, whispered a good night and went back to sleep.

* * *

Mandy looked outside her window. She hated mornings but she had to face them. Mornings were so... bright and cheery. She hated it. Hated it. Period. She traced the sky up to the zenith and found that at the center of it was a green planet that beheld more planets smaller than it. Funny how it is bigger than Jupiter and she found it disgusting. Real disgusting.

She was expecting a visitor that morning and she hated it how they made her wait. '_People should really take note of their time'_ she thought. True enough rumors were true. Mandy was an impatient person. Make her wait and you're dead.

Suddenly she heard the door open. Mandy took only a glance of the girl as she sat down on the awaiting chair before her desk. Mandy gingerly took her respected seat and turned to face the visitor.

"Gwen," she greeted. Gwen just nodded in response to the greeting, still silencing herself.

"What's the news on Ben?" Mandy asked as if she had practiced it for over a century. She propped on her elbows, chained her fingers together and with a devious look on her face, she looked at the red-head.

"Well, Ben has been having..." Gwen began, then losing her voice. She had thought for a while and asked herself if she should have it continued or not. When she had found her voice, she continued. "...dreams."

"Go on," Mandy said as her hands retreated back to their owner, as she leaned back to gain comfort from her chair.

"Ben said that his dreams were about a girl. A girl named Reed."

"Reed," Mandy repeated and looked as if she was in deep thought. "I remember that girl we saved five years ago."

"Well, Ben made a promise to her that he'll bring her here safely. But he didn't fulfill it--"

"Because we saved her," Mandy said, still in deep thought.

"Yes," Gwen responded. "I think that he might have felt guilty over it."

An awkward pause ran over the room. Gwen looked at Mandy's serious face and knew better not to disturb her. She just looked down at her clasped hands that sat on her lap and waited patiently for Mandy to say anything.

"That is all I need to know," Gwen heard Mandy say. Gwen looked up and saw Mandy facing her. Mandy's face was serious but somewhat blank. Her cold information-less eyes told Gwen nothing and she just wanted to keep it that way. Making Mandy mad was bad but picking a fight with her was worse.

"You are dismissed," Mandy said. She knew Gwen had a high respect for her and she liked it. Gwen just nodded, stood up and left.

Mandy waited for the fifteen year old to leave. She heard a series of footsteps and suddenly there was nothing. She was sure she left. Mandy let her hand move to the built-in intercom on her desk. She pressed a certain button.

"Mrs. Warthog," she called. She released the button, waiting for a response.

"Yes, Mandy?" a hoarse and crisp voice responded from the intercom.

"Can you please tell the Information Technologies department to make a research about a girl named Reed," she asked while pressing the button again.

"Yes Mandy," was the response.

Mandy once again pressed the button. "Thank you," she said. A moment of thought came through the young girl. She let her hand lead the way to the intercom again to press the button.

"Oh and Mrs. Warthog," she called once more. "Tell them that I'll be coming down there."

"Yes Mandy."

* * *

Ben grabbed his green jacket. He knew that it was another day, another migraine. Sometimes his head ached because of all the missions he was getting. And those missions were exclusively for him and he should **not** pass them on to the other cadets.

_"I'm telling you Ben. These missions are exclusively for you and you should __**not**__ pass them on to the other cadets, do you hear?"_

Ben shuddered as he thought of Mandy saying that sternly to him. Yeah, he should really stick to Mandy's will. He slipped his arms in the sleeves of his jacket and headed out of his room.

As he entered the halls, he had been greeted by a girl talking to her dog as if the dog could talk back. (which it can though)

"Hey June," Ben greeted.

"Hey Ben!" Juniper Lee greeted back. She had stopped dead in her tracks and faced the older boy. "Hey, thanks for letting Gwen stay with you last night. I didn't know she did it until DeeDee told me last night that I could sleep in her bunk. So, yeah, thanks," she said sheepishly while she was rubbing the back of her neck quite embarrassingly.

"Hey, no problem," Ben smiled. He had spotted the dog with her and picked him up. "Hey you! How are you doing today Munroe?" he said acting like he was a baby. The dog barked at him furiously.

"Munroe's a little..." Juniper started. "...I don't know, weird lately. So sorry if he barks at you like that."

Ben continued smiling and turned to the Te Xuan Ze. "Nah," Ben responded. "All dogs are like that." He settled Munroe down and turned to Juniper.

"How are the missions going, June?" he asked randomly.

"Well you know," she responded. "...Hard. Fuse is being a knock-off more than ever." Ben eyed the girl as she turned her hands into balls of fists. "He's just a bad dude with nothing to do in his life," she continued and by judging on her tone, she was frustrated.

"You don't expect villains to be _that_ easy," Ben chuckled.

"Well yeah," Juniper chuckled back. "Well, I have to go. I heard Ray Ray's making a fool out of himself in the cafeteria again."

"Good luck on that," Ben smiled at her as the Te Xuan Ze and her dog began to leave the opposite way. "And if you see Billy tell him 'hi' from me, 'kay?" he called.

"Will do!"

Ben wasn't in much of a hurry and he thought he had the whole day for his missions before he turned them in to Mandy. A few people that knew him greeted him along the way. He just nodded to them, as he was too lazy to respond anyway. A girl had caught his attention though. He remembered the girl from the past.

"Hey you!" Ben called after the girl. Many people that came his way just looked at him while the girl he was after was continuing to walk. "You in a blue jacket!"

The girl had turned around. True enough to what Ben remembers, she had short black hair that sat just above her shoulders. She sported a blue jacket and black skirt with sneakers to match. "Yes?"

Ben had walked up to her, smiling. "Reed?" Ben called. "Reed? Is that you? Thank goodness it's you!"

With his statement, he hugged the confused girl.

* * *

**So yeah, I'm cutting the happening up to here. Just to give you a little something to come back for more. So yeah. Stay tuned for the next chapter! Is the girl Reed or not? Well, tune in to find out!  
**

**Gosh, It's like, 11:30 pm here. If I stay up late, my parents' will kill me!! So yeah. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!**


	5. Chapter 5: Reed Part 2

**Umm.... I don't know what to say except one thing.**

**Disclaimer: Dude, do I look like I own Fusion Fall?**

* * *

**Chapter Five:**

**Reed (Part 2)**

Mandy had entered the Information Technologies Center. Mandy scanned the spacious oval shaped office with alarmed KND operatives running around and about. Big screens were a main need for the center and little screens backed-up the ambiance. A KND operative had run to her side and did a salute as a greeting. Mandy nodded at the operative and continued on.

"How's the result, Numbuh 808?" Mandy coolly asked as he walked to a KND operative, working at a station.

"Well it seems that we have three results," Numbuh 808 said, looking up to the big screen. "The girl's name turns out to be Reed Tearheart." He paused and turned around to face Mandy. "Hey, isn't that the girl we saved five years ago?"

Mandy nodded at the operative. She had a certain thing in mind. She remembered what had happened that time. That time that started Ben's guilt. Five years back...

_(Mandy's POV)_

_I stared down the balcony to see Ben having a fight with his cousin, Gwen. No, I didn't even mind bothering them. It was least of my worries anyway. I could see and hear them bellowing at each other. Sometimes, people like them are more disturbing than Billy's sick hamster. But anyway, it was still amusing to see them fight._

_"Mandy, the meeting calls for you now," I heard Numbuh 1's voice behind my back. I didn't even turn around to see if it was him. I am right after all._

_"I'll follow, Nigel," I said calling him by his name. I didn't even bother using his codename; it was child's play after all. And I bet he didn't mind either. I knew he left after that._

_"No, Ben. You have a mission to do!" I heard Gwen say._

_"Gwen, I made a promise to a little girl and I __need__ to do it!" Ben said in his usual whiny tone: an ear-sore to me and most people. _

_I now managed to stand under the light of the exposed balcony. "Ben," I said. "Meeting. Now." That was all I need to say and nothing more. I bet he understood it anyway. If he didn't understand it, he would most likely be Billy._

_------------_

_I sat back at the comfort of my chair. It wasn't my own but it will do. I was watching a little show that I would call: "The Meeting"._

_Boring, right?_

_But it was Ben being... a ten year old and such. Not so much boring now. It was... amusing. Though it __was__ boring at the same time._

_"But Ben" Numbuh 2 began to say. "The tracking device has been fixed and the Fusion Ben is going down to Pokey Oaks."_

_"Well, I wish that it never had been fixed!" Ben bellowed._

_"Ben," Numbuh 1 said casually. "Your current mission is to destroy the Fusion Ben and you must fulfill it or else you would put the whole world in danger."_

_"Well," Ben said, thinking. "I committed in saving the world but I made a promise to a girl! And this girl happens to be part of the world! Saving this girl is __also__ saving the world!!"_

_I nodded my head and for once, little ten-year old Ben __**did**__ make a point._

_"To heck with these little girl things!" Numbuh 4 bellowed. "You've got a world to save!! Little girls can wait!!"_

_"She's not __just__ a girl! She's something more than that!"_

_"Then what?!"_

_"She was a friend!!"_

_Numbuh 4 sighed. "WHAT THE CRUD JUST HAPPENED TO YOU?!" he bellowed. "YOU USED TO BE COOL!!"_

_"Calm yourself down, Numbuh 4" Numbuh 1 commanded. Well, they seemed to be playing along with the child's play quite well, calling themselves by numbers. What's next? Calling me Numbuh infinity? This is lame._

_This is getting really lame._

_"Ben has a point," I spoke. "But..."_

_Everyone in the room stared at me like I was wrong. They seem to be awaiting for the continuation of my litany. Yes, everyone in the room, Ben, Numbuh 4, 2, and 1, and Blossom._

_"...But let him decide." Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. Last time I checked, I wasn't Billy, DeeDee or Ray Ray. "If he wants to fulfill a promise to a girl rather than to the planet, then fine, let him. I don't care."_

_My words got Ben's throat. Everyone stared at me. I didn't care. I didn't plan on making Ben feel guilty or making him save the little girl._

_Guess what he chose?_

_Ben sat down on his chair. "Fine," he said. "I'll go to Pokey Oaks."_

_It was decided then. Ben would go down Pokey Oaks and somebody would have to save the little girl. I didn't make the decision, Ben did. I crossed my arms and turned to Numbuh 1._

_"Nigel, you and your team will save the girl," I said turning to Numbuh 1 as he gave me a nod. It was understood. "Blossom, assist Nigel's team."_

_"Right away, Mandy," Blossom responded._

_Again, it wasn't me who made the decision. Ben did._

* * *

(Normal POV)

"Reed," Ben spoke lightly to the girl. "It's me, Ben."

"I know who you are!" the girl said, pulling away from the fifteen year old's arms. She seemed to be frightened. "Let go of me!"

Ben opened his hands and looked at the worrying girl. "Look, Reed," Ben started. "I'm sorry for what had happened five years ago. I... I was forced to let go."

The girl's expression turned from weirded-out to anger. "Ben," she started. "What are you talking about?"

Ben was shocked. "Reed..." he said. "You don't remember?"

People had been looking at them as if though they were a side-street show or something that goes along like that. Ben didn't mind it but the girl seemeed embarrassed of what was happening right now. Silence befell among the two. The girl seems to be finding the right words still while Ben was waiting patiently for the younger girl's response.

"No, I don't remember, Ben."

* * *

"The documents about Reed were taken five years ago," said Numbuh 808 whose fingers were still tinkering on the keyboard pasted together by different buttons. "There's even a footage of the interview here."

"Show me the footage," Mandy ordered.

_(Footage)_

_Numbuh 1 was taking the role as the interrogator. The screen showed a little girl hugging onto a stuffed bunny and she sat across the table._

_"So, what's your name?" Numbuh 1's voice asked._

_"Reed..." the girl answered. "Reed Tearheart."_

_"Age?"_

_"Eight."_

_"Where are your parents?"_

_The girl buried her bunny closer to her chest._

_"At the KND Moonbase..."_

_"Why are you here? The KND ordered that all adults and their families must retreat to the KND Moonbase. Only volunteers aged twelve and above, the Kids Next Door, and the necessary people are allowed to stay here and participate in the war."_

_"Well..." the girl cried. "...I... I miss my brother and I wanted to see him again."_

_"But how did you get here?"_

_"I ran away from home... rode the next S.C.A.M.P.E.R to here."_

_"Did any operative know about this?"_

_"..." the kid silenced. After a short while, she buried her face into the stuffed animal. "...no."_

_"What's your brother's name?"_

_"R...Ruben Tearheart..."_

_"We'll let him know you visited him here. But now, we have to take you back to the KND Moonbase, am I clear?"_

_"Y...yes... sir."_

_"Good, are there any more requests you'd like to recommend?"_

_"C...can I see Ben?"_

_"I'm afraid you can't. He's currently on a mission. He won't be back until the day after tomorrow. Are there any more?"_

_"I...I don't know."_

_"Okay, that is all I need to know. Numbuh 3 will assist you to your room so you could get cleaned up," Numbuh 1 said as the footage showed a girl in green and with long black hair escort the little girl._

_(End of Footage)_

Mandy looked at the KND operative and back at the paused screen. "What are the other two results?" Mandy asked blankly.

Numbuh 808 clicked on the second result. "Ruben Tearheart," he said. "The girl's brother."

"And the other?" Mandy asked almost as though she wasn't interested at all.

"Caden Tearheart."

Mandy eyed the screen once more before turning around to leave. "Print Reed Tearheart's profile and Caden Tearheart's profile," Mandy said as she was inching to the elevator. "Oh and record the footage, put it on a CD."

The elevator door opened as Mandy stepped inside. "I must have them at my office before lunch, am I clear?" she added.

"Clear," Numbuh 808 said as he saluted.

And with a nod, the elevator door closed.

* * *

**WHEW!! That was looooong!! Anyway it's 12:30 am here. An hour later than yesterday. So if my mom finds out I'm still up, she'll kill me!! Anyway...**

**REVIEW!!!! :3 They are truly appreciated. And thanks to those who reviewed!! ^.^**


	6. Chapter 6: Of Friendships and Missions

**If you would like to go back to Chapter 5, I made a mistake there. But thanks to **_**Second daughter of Eve**_**, I have corrected it. Thank you very much. ^.^**

**Disclaimer: Really, I don't own Fusion Fall, nor did I make it nor did I contribute any drawings there. Seriously, I could ****never**** come up with a game such as that!!**

**To all you people out there, I would like to say I only own Reed, Caden, Matt, Michelle, Rosemarie and Ruben. Rest may follow.**

* * *

**Chapter Six:**

**Of Friendships and Missions**

Matt had opened his eyes. He could see little light. It was a sign that he was half-awake. He blinked a lot of times until he was conscious of his surroundings. He propped on his elbows just to get off his lying position until he had gathered all his strength to sit up. He stretched his arms and yawned. It was another morning.

Though he saw that the color of the walls was in its usual, but he knew every room had the same color. And he knew he wasn't in his room.

He looked down and he was at the top bunk, not his usual bunk. He had the lower bunk back at his room. He looked around and saw a door. He knew it was the bathroom door for he could hear the shower working. He could hear footsteps, wet footsteps. His cheeks reddened and all blood had seemed to go there. He could feel himself heating up as he knew he had the knowledge that Caden was in there.

Darn hormones...

Matt quickly grabbed the blanket and yanked it over his head. He was shivering even if it wasn't cold. His body had froze and his hands felt clammy. _'Don't think, don't think, don't think!!'_ he thought to himself. He felt his heart thump against his rib cage.

"Hey sleepy-head!" he heard a girl call. He was familiar with the voice. Matt held the blanket tighter for the fear of seeing... oh for the love of--!!

"Hey Matt!!" he heard Caden call. "I just want to let you know that you can take off the blanket now!"

Matt inched the blanket away from his head. He looked down to see a fully-clothed Caden. He sighed in relief. He eyed the girl. She looked like she had just taken a bath because he had noted her wet jet-black hair. She wore her usual over-sized green jacket over her yellow inner-shirt, blue baggy set of shorts, and green boots. She was holding on to a towel as she walked to her dresser.

"I always dress in the bathroom," Caden noted. She settled down the towel and grabbed her belt equipped of all of her needs. "Listen, I still have a mission--"

"You're finding your brother?" Matt asked, now that he had been supporting his body on his left elbow.

"No," Caden said. "I'm doing a favor for DeeDee. I bet I'll be done by lunch. By then, I can join you in your group," she said briefly. She strapped her belt. She turned to the boy up in the higher bunk. "Do you have any current missions?"

Matt thought for a minute. "Hey, can you grab my Nanocom for me?" Matt asked Caden casually. "It's right there on the right pocket of my belt."

Caden eyed the boy's heavy belt on the dresser. She dug in the right pocket until she found a small device. "Here," she said as she threw the device at Matt.

Matt quickly went off his recent position to a sitting position as he caught the Nanocom with ease. "Thanks," he said as he started tinkering with it. He quickly scrolled through his journal and looked. "Yeah but I think I'll be done by lunch."

Caden smiled, genuine to one's eyes. She grabbed a small scrunchy and tied her hair to the side as usual. She grabbed her shattergun and looked at Matt. "I'll be seeing you in the cafeteria then," she said, she ran out of the room, humming, not her usual self.

Matt lied down on the bed again, his head supported by his arms. He knew he was sleeping in Caden's room last night after their talk. He reminisced of what had happened last night.

_Rosemarie had entered her and Caden's room. She was beat. __Real__ beat. Her back ached, her arms ached, her feet ached, her neck ached, her __whole __body ached. Now's she's just expecting a nice hot bath, a soft bed to lie on, a soft pillow to put her head on, and a nice warm blanket to let the cold out of her body._

_She was about to turn-in when she saw a figure sitting on the dresser chair. His head was cocked forward, his arms crossed, and his back leaning back. She inched slowly to the figure, finding out it was a boy, he was a brune and she heard slight snoring. She observed that his chest was pumping up then slowly falling down. He was sleeping, in short._

_Rosemarie checked on the lower bunk to see her roommate, curled up into a loose ball, hair disheveled and sleeping. She figured that the boy earlier had to be Matt. She decided to shake him a bit._

_"Matt..." she whispered. "Matt." The brune woke up slowly and turned his icy blue gaze at the girl._

_"R...Rosemarie?"_

_"Sssh..." Rosemarie said as she placed a finger before her lips. Matt had shaken himself a bit to be aware._

_"Sorry," Matt apologized. "W... were you going to sleep?"_

_Rosemarie smiled sweetly at the boy. "I was about to..." she said sheepishly. "...but don't worry, you can have my bed tonight."_

_"Really?" Matt said, a bit surprised at what she said._

_All could Rosemarie do was nod. "I'll be sleeping at Jessica's room," she said, heading to the door._

_But before she could reach the door, Matt had called her. "Thanks," Matt said. Rosemarie smiled at the boy._

* * *

"No!" the girl said as she once again broke free of the fifteen year old's grasp. "I don't remember!"

Ben tried to calm the girl down but the girl refused to. "Reed, Reed," he said, shushing the girl. "Calm down."

"No I won't!" The girl said, her gaze turning angrier at the fifteen year old. "I won't because I don't remember and I'm not Reed!!"

Ben was surprised. She looked like her and everything. Short black hair and the plump face that he remembered.

"My name's not Reed..."

* * *

"Matt, you haven't touched your food, what's wrong with you?"

Matt's blue eyes turned to his friend and groupmate, Warren Michaels. He observed his messy red hair and red eyes. Warren looked at him with full concern.

"Nothing..." Matt said as he propped his elbow on the table and rest his head on it. "I'm just... waiting." He looked at his mashed potatoes, forking it anywhere.

Warren smiled slyly at him. "Aaah... I see... you've got a girlfriend."

Matt redenned in shock at turned angrily at him. "Do not!"

"Okay then," Warren said, rolling his eyes. A short silence befell on the two. Matt kept tinkering on his food while Warren looked away. He eyed the boy. "Who's the girl?" Warren asked. Matt glared then growled at him.

"Look, Warren... I don't--" Matt started to explain.

"Hey, " Caden said, sitting down beside Matt. Matt looked at the girl and could see that she didn't have a platter of food. All she had was a bottle of water and a very dirty body. She was covered in Fusion Matter, and some parts of her clothes were tattered and torn. Her hair was a little disheveled but was still in place.

Warren gave Matt a doubtful smile. Matt glared at him. "Hey, Caden," Matt asked. "What--?"

"Fusion monsters happened," Caden responded as she arrogantly looked away.

"Oh," Matt responded. He turned to his red-head friend. "Warren, this is Caden," he said, introducing the girl to his friend. Caden looked at the red-head sitting across him.

Warren looked at her. "Hey," Warren said, smiling. "Maybe after a bath and after a small mission, maybe we could go out sometime, " he had said flirtatiously at her. Matt glared at him but it was sad that Warren didn't get to see it.

Caden raised a brow at him. Surely, an introduction like this is wasn't she liked at all. She sighed at the boy. Her eyes seemed to glare at him.

"This is a war, not a dating game," she said simply.

"Right," Warren said, embarrassed.

It was a normal lunch after that.

* * *

"Mandy," the voice of Mrs. Warthog was heard on the built-in intercom.

Mandy pressed the button, "Yes?"

"Ben Tennyson is here to see you."

"Bring him in," Mandy said. She looked up to the door, expecting her visitor to come in. Her bitter eyes took a glance at her untouched teacup and pot. She grabbed the teacup and poured herself some.

Her ears suddenly picked up the wooshing sound of the door. Her lips were still touching the rim of the cup as she looked up at the fifteen year-old. "Ben," she said as she put down her cup.

"Here," Ben said, putting down some flesh-colored folders at her desk.

"You're awfully early to be submitting some paperworks," Mandy stated as she grabbed her cup and took it in her lips.

"Well," Ben said sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck. "The early you do them, the early you finish."

Mandy didn't look at the older boy. She put the teacup down, then setting it aside. Ben looked silently at the younger girl as she scanned the folders. He saw her nod her head and grab her teacup again.

"Well..." Ben said as he slowly inched the door. "...I'll be going now." He managed to get himself to the door without getting beat up by the so-called "Demon Girl" (courtesy of Grim of course).

Mandy took away the cup from her lips. "Ben," she said as the boy stopped himself. He looked back at the girl. "I need you to do this mission for me."

Ben stepped towards Mandy's desk, eyeing the girl cautiously. He looked down to the desk, seeing that Mandy's free hand was sliding a normal folder towards the boy. Ben took it and flipped through it.

"It's exclusively for you..." Mandy started. "...but you'll be needing help." She said this, sipped her tea and looked at the boy for any reactions.

"Help?" Ben inquired, looking up from the folder.

"You'll be needing these," Mandy said as she slipped two more folders across her table. Ben took the two more folders and headed to the door. Suddenly, he turned around as he heard his name being called.

"Start the mission tomorrow..."

* * *

**I am currently done with this. ^^ YAYZ!!**

**In case you're wondering a brune means it's a brown haired boy.**

**So yeah... I'm still thinking on how to put the patches altogether! Wish me luck on that!!**


	7. Chapter 7: Expected and Unexpected

**So... mhmm... yeah. Did you notice that the Rated K+ in my story turned to Rated T? Yeah, I changed it because I figured there will be some "things" (not romantic things) will happen in later chapters. But I'm not telling why. And plus, I am trying to be vague. But don't worry, things will work out in the end and you'll finally be able to see all the things and connect and reconnect them.**

**And if might have noticed, I patterned some circumstances here according to some stories here. So, if you find it offending that you might've seen some in my story, you can tell me to put this down.**

**Whew... long. So Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FUSION FALL!!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**The Expected and The Unexpected**

Ben sat on his bed, scanning the mission folder and thinking. He had skipped lunch that day, thinking to himself he wasn't hungry or anything. He told Gwen not take sympathy on this and bring him food whenever he skipped a meal. He hated being fed. Nor did he expect anybody besides Gwen to feed him.

_'Should I really do this?'_ he thought as he began to lie down the bed.

A knock descended upon the metal door as Ben sighed. "Come in Gwen," he said. He knew such because she was the only person in his life that would knock on a bedroom door.

He heard the door open but he didn't hear footsteps come in. Gwen _could_ fly but she wasn't the type to use her powers for unnecessary moments. He looked at who came in and surprised himself.

He sat up and looked at the Powerpuff Girl holding a food tray. "Bubbles?" Ben asked, surprised at what he was seeing.

"Hi Ben," the Powerpuff Girl greeted sweetly, as she was hovering on her place. She settled the food tray down on the desk beside the double-decker.

"You know," Ben began to say as he switched to sitting at the edge of the bed. "You shouldn't _always_ listen to Gwen. You've got a mind of your own."

Bubbles smiled as sweetly as she greeted a while back. "I don't," she said as she clasped her hands at the small of her back.

Ben raised a brow at the sweet girl. "Well, what's with the platter of food?" he asked as his finger pointed at the food tray on the table.

"I brought it to you by my own decision," Bubbles said without taking off her smile.

Ben was surprised at what she had said. Never before in his life had he undergone a simple act of kindness from Bubbles. It was... well, unexpected. A smile formed from the corners of his lips as he returned the sweet smile to the Powerpuff Girl.

"Thanks," he said. Ben watched as the little girl flew to his side and sat down.

"People have been worrying about you, Ben," Bubbles began as her smile seemed to fade away.

Ben sat back as he let his hands support him, his eyes gazed at the ceiling. "Go figure," he said with a sigh.

Bubbles smiled at him sweetly. "Even Mandy cares," she said as if she had found it amusing.

This surprised the fifteen year old. "Wow," he said simply even if it did surprise him. Mandy wasn't that kind of girl though. She was tough, she made a lot of sense, she was manipulative, she was evil (in a way) and almost uncaring. The last thing he'll need was to know that Mandy turned from a girl from hell to a sweet little daffodil.

"You know what?" Bubbles said as she hovered down to the ground but stopping in mid-air. Ben looked at the Powerpuff Girl. "You're pretty lucky to have a cousin like Gwen."

Then, she smiled sweetly. He thought it was the sweetest smile he had ever seen in his life. It was enough to melt some boy's heart. He watched her go out of his room with a streak of blue light following her pathway.

He looked at the three folders that were now sitting on his bed. He grabbed one folder and opened it. Inside was a picture of a girl with a side ponytail. She had a serious face on as she looked on. The picture was attached with a paperclip with her profile in it. He had said the girl's name out loud.

"Caden Tearheart."

* * *

"Look girls," a high pitched voice occurred behind Caden's back. "A poor dirty girl." She turned her head around as she saw a blonde that she had hated most.

"Oops, sorry," Michelle said mockingly. "It was just you."

Caden glared at her and went back on minding her own business. "Go away, Michelle," she said plainly. "Don't you have any more people to bug besides me?"

"Sorry," Michelle said proudly. "You're the only one in my list."

"Then go find somebody else..." Caden replied without looking at her back.

"Michelle," Matt began to say as he walked behind Caden and in front of the blonde girl. "She said back-off."

"I can't believe you're having someone to do your fights for you?" Michelle squeaked. "You're weaker than I thought."

With that, Michelle continued. "Without your brother, you're just a weak little shell of a girl."

_Weak... weak..._

That word rang in Caden's mind. _Weak_. Michelle had injected the word into her mind. And it bothered her. It was something that her brother left her as. And Michelle reminded her... that she was a... weak... shell...

Warren looked at the girl across him. Her eyes seemed to be hidden by her unruly bangs. She was trembling. And Warren knew better than to make her angry even more.

Caden finally stood up in rage but ended up being stopped by Matt. "Haven't you learned the last time?!" Caden shouted.

"Caden!" Matt scolded the girl. She began squirming out of Matt's behind and wanted to scratch the girl so bad. So bad that she wanted more than to scratch her. She wanted to **kill** her!

But she couldn't do anything more than to splash her with her water from the water bottle she was holding. Matt and Caden stopped squirming as they looked at the blonde. Everything seemed to stop that time. Michelle's band of girls backed-off but wanted to comfort her at the same time.

There between Matt and the band of girls was a wet Michelle. At least not a very wet Michelle. She had water all over her top and it went way down to her skirt. Water dripped from the hem of her skirt to the floor and made a small puddle.

Michelle was shocked to find herself splashed by water. Suddenly, all began to fade away and soon replenished by anger.

"YOU LITTLE MONSTER!!" she screamed as she tried to grasp on the girl but was held back by her crew. She shrugged violently, successfully tugging away from the hands of her crew.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!!" Michelle screamed at the top of her lungs. Someone had tugged her back to the group.

"Caden!"

Caden looked at who had tugged her back. It was Rosemarie and she seemed to be telling her to run.

_Run. _It was all she could do. Run away like before. Run away from her problems. It wasn't what her mind was telling her.

"Run!" Rosemarie repeated.

It wasn't up to her mind. All what she did was run. Obviously, her feet had a mind of their own.

When she had left the cafeteria, Michelle finally managed to get out of Rosemarie's grasp and finally had control of her own. "You traitor!" she shouted. Rosemarie was a little scared but overall, she was as tough as a rock.

Next thing Rosemarie knew...

_SLAP!_

* * *

Mandy entered the room without asking. Numbuh 2 was used to it though. Even it did mean intruding on his privacy. Mandy stood beside Numbuh 2 as he kept tinkering with his keyboard.

"Any news?" Mandy asked rather coldly.

"Well, he moved from the Pokey Oaks Kindergarten to the abandoned Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," Numbuh 2 said as he looked at the screen.

"Are you sure the Fusion Ben is there, Hoagie?" Mandy asked. (Like always, she called them by their names thinking it was just child's play)

"Well yeah," Numbuh 2 said, turning his computer chair around to look at the girl. "The detector we put on him five years ago was expected to work up to six years. One time, I was looking through the coordinates and to my surprise, it was still working."

"Surprising," Mandy emotionlessly said. She turned around and headed to the door.

"Keep tracking him, Hoagie."

"Aye aye, Mandy."

* * *

After eating the food that Bubbles gave to him, Ben Tennyson decided to take a little walk down the halls. Or maybe pay his friend, Dexter, for a little visit. Or maybe help Buttercup on her current mission. There was a whole range of things to do.

He roamed the hallways and ended up going through the Cadets' dormitories (seeing as how it connected to their dorms). He was whistling a tune to himself to get his mind off the mission given to him.

After all, he _is_ to begin tomorrow.

Something run past him. It wasn't a streak of light or a blur. At the edge of his eye, he caught a crying girl run past him.

* * *

_Run._

It was all she could do to escape her tears. It was all her legs could think of. It was all that her roommate told her to do. It was all _she_ could do.

She knew where to go, where to hide her feelings. She knew where to put them all and lock them away. She knew where they could be forgotten. She knew where to forget.

_Forget_.

No, she hadn't forgotten about it. About how her brother left her and about she missed him so.

Caden knew where. In her room.

As she got there, she quickly jumped on her bed, even if she is dirty and covered with Fusion matter. She held her legs to her chest, her head on her hands and her whole body into a corner. She quickly snatched a blanket and yanked it over head, crying.

"Hello?"

* * *

**So yeah... my creative juices in writing are seeping away from me causing me to make this drama crap. DANG!!! (FEEL THE CRAPPINESS!!)**

**Anyway... I will still make the next chapter. Just... not now. Yeah.**

**If you feel the crappiness, do tell me.**


	8. Chapter 8: The Talk

**Um... yeah. You know, I was **_**almost**_** not going to post this because I got writer's block. But thanks to my very trusted ****best****friend, MJ, who is also an author (she has an account but she forgot it), I was uplifted from it. THANKS MJ!! So here it is.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, will not, and ever will, own Fusion Fall. I just own several characters here. Characters that do not actually appear in the Cartoon Network Universe.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight:**

**The Talk**

"Hello? Anybody here?"

Caden had been hearing the same voice all over again. She did not know who it was and what its intention was. She knew better to hide under the grayness of her blanket. She couldn't let the person see her. She didn't let out a peep, she didn't let out a word, she sat still. She knew she would be safer in the corner of her bed. The double-decker was, after all, embedded in the wall.

It stinks inside her sheild of blanket but she learned to not mind. She had smelled Fusion matter once, and she had smelled it a thousand times. Any warrior must learn to stand the stench.

"Hello? I'm here to help."

_Help._

She didn't need any help. She grew up by help, she lived by help and now, she wanted to be independent. She didn't want to depend anymore, she didn't want to depend on anybody. Even on Rosemarie, on Mandy, on her brother...

_Brother_.

She let out a whimper.

She suddenly was surprised at what she did. She forgot to keep her mouth shut and her words in her mouth. She felt the matress move underneath her and a shadow formed outside her blanket.

"Go away..." she whimpered.

"Uh... I really shouldn't be really sticking my nose in somebody's business but... why are you crying?" she heard the shadow talk. It was a boy's voice but it wasn't familiar to her ears.

"I said go away!" she said, with her tone stronger.

"Fine. I was just here to help you anyway," the voice cockily answered back.

Caden scowled beneath the blanket. "Who says I need help?" she replied.

The shadow kept silent. She could tell it was still there. She could still see the shadow, it was just... breathing there.

She sniffled. Then her scowl went further. "What do you want?" she finally asked.

"I just wanted to ask you why you were crying," the shadow simply stated.

"Well," she said, whimpering. "If you must know." She looked at the shadow as the it seemed to look back at her too.

"It's just that..." she started as her scowl disappeared. "...I hate _being_ weak. I hate being _told_ that I'm weak. I hate _feeling_ weak."

"And that... Michelle!" she said as she went to another subject. "That stupid blonde, told me that I'm just a weak person without my..." With that, Caden had lost her voice. She didn't want to go on. She didn't want to say anything to a shadow that she still didn't know.

"Your?" the voice asked.

"Nevermind," she said, her scowl returning to the corners of her mouth. She watched the shadow lean on its hands.

"I'm not forcing the truth out of you..." the voice said.

Caden sighed, exhaling most of the stench she had inhaled. She heard the voice sigh too as the shadow looked up to the ceiling.

"Not _all_ people are _that_ strong, you know?" the shadow said. "Everybody has a weakness..."

Caden looked up to the shadow. The shadow had seemed to look back at her. "Everybody...?" Caden asked.

"Yeah, everybody," the shadow said. "Including me."

Caden hadn't felt alright, but it _did_ ease her emotions a little. She smiled a little even if the shadow didn't see it. "Thanks... shadow..." she said.

"Now will you take the blanket off?" the shadow asked.

Caden looked at the form in front of her. She felt uneasiness inside of her. She only knew the shadow for three minutes and the shadow wanted her blanket off. She didn't want her face to be seen. Well, one thing's for sure, it sure seemed nice. She looked back at the shadow and she noticed it hadn't taken it's eyes off of the blanket.

She slowly took off the blanket, her features seen inch by inch. She could also see the features of the one talking to her as she inched the blanket down a little more. It had turned out that the shadow she was talking to was a brune, had a pair of emerald green eyes and a very sweet smile.

"There... see?" he smiled. "C'mon, have a hug." Caden was pretty sure the boy wasn't gay, basing on his features. She thought he was just... sweet and friendly.

"No thanks," Caden said, her face still not showing any appreciation. "I uh--"

She felt warm heat press against her body. It wasn't the feel of Fusion Matter but it was a feel of a human body against hers. She didn't like it though but she didn't pull back, thinking it might disappoint the boy. A pair of arms had locked around her anyway.

* * *

"Caden," Matt called, entering the girl's room. "Caden!"

Matt entered the room further more, hoping to see the girl. "Caden..." he called once more. "Caden I---"

As Matt turned around and looked at the embedded double-decker, his jaw dropped open. Jealousy overcame him. He didn't know what to say as he looked on as a fifteen year old had been hugging his friend.

"B...B...Ben...?!" Matt said with shock etched all over his face and had probably come over his tone.

Fifteen year old Ben Tennyson let go of the girl as soon as Matt had seen him. Caden looked back at Matt with an irritated scowl upon her lips. Ben wanted to explain what had happened just so he could clear Matt's mind of what he was thinking.

Ben sat up and looked jokingly at the younger boy. "Sorry..." he started, a smile played across his lips. "...Was... was she... was she your girlfriend?"

Matt glared at the boy. "No..." he scoffed then murmured. "...Well, sort of... yes... I mean... NO!!"

Ben laughed at the snickered at Matt as he smiled at Caden. Caden returned a bitter scowl. "I'm Ben Tennyson," he said, introduced himself.

"Yeah, yeah," Matt said, crossing his arms. "I know you."

"You're..." Ben said, taking the conversation between the two. "You're--"

"Matt Mitchells," he said casually, his tone still harsh on the older boy. "She's my friend, Caden Tearheart."

"Listen," Ben said his voice now turned from a joke to a more serious, urgent-type tone. "Now that I have you all here, I wanted to talk to you about something..."

* * *

**I know it's short. Well, yeah, if you compare it to the other chapters. I did mean to keep it shorter since this is basically all I wanted to show you now.**

**Again, I would like to thank you, friend MJ. And also Eve for continuing to read this. Anyway. So yeah. You can go ahead and review now.**

**Anonymous reviews are welcome! ^^**


	9. Chapter 9: The Trip to Foster's

**I was suppose to take the day off on making a chappie today, but even if I did say that to my conscience, something inside me wanted to continue this. So yeah, I am. So maybe I'm keeping this short. But don't worry, the other chaps will be longer again**

**Disclaimer: (sigh) Just so you know, I don't own Fusion Fall. ^^**

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

**The Trip to Foster's**

Caden looked around her, before she got out. She grabbed her choker, and slowly rode it around her neck, her fingers fumbling at the back of her neck. She looked at the double-decker. It was nice of Ben to give her new sheets so the others can be cleaned properly. Fusion Matter was hard to get off of sheets. Especially white sheets since it would stain it.

"Glad I wore green..." she murmured to her self as she finished fumbling with her choker. She, then, grabbed her hair scrunchy, sat down on the desk chair and neatly put her hair in place. As usual, it was a ponytail on the side of her head.

"Hey, Caden," Matt called as he entered the girl's room. "Hurry up, Ben's waiting at the S.C.A.M.P.E.R."

"I'll be out in a minute," Caden replied. Matt had just shrugged and left the room. She looked at the mirror. Her face was emotionless and blank. She sighed to herself.

"You can do this, Caden. It's just a mission..."

She placed her elbows on the desk and cradled her head. She scowled.

"...A _very_ dangerous mission..."

She shook herself out of her doubt and stood up. She grabbed her weapon and headed to the door. She watched the automatic door open but she didn't step outside.

She looked at the double-decker, then at the upper bunk. She sighed. Caden hadn't seen or noticed Rosemarie turn-in last night. It bothered her. It wasn't like Rosemarie at all.

With a final trance, she went out the room.

* * *

"I'm not letting you go if I can't come," she heard Warren fight back at Matt.

Caden walked past Matt and his friend. She looked at the pair. It was the first time she had seen them fight. It was awkward for her. What was she thinking? She didn't even care. She just let the issue pass her on as she just walked away from Matt.

"Caden!" Matt said as he followed the walking girl.

"Matt Mitchells!" he heard Warren follow him. "We're not through yet!"

* * *

Ben had been waiting outside Sector V. Caden had stepped into the light as she let her eyes bathe the scene that stood before her. Her eyes widened. Matt had been arguing with his friend but as his eyes saw the scene, he had followed suit.

"We're riding..." Caden said, her voice trailing off. But she had found her voice again as she pointed at the thing. "...in that?!"

Ben had been standing in front of a vehicle (which was not a S.C.A.M.P.E.R) that looked _far_ more elegant and beautiful than the usual ones.

"Is that a bus?" Matt had managed to ask.

"And are _those_ wings of a plane?" Caden asked Ben.

Ben sheepishly smiled. "Well... yeah... both..." Ben said, taking a second look at the vehicle. "Guys, I'd like to show you, the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. Numbuh 2 would be our pilot for today." As he said this, he showed them Numbuh 2 already at the driver's seat.

"C'mon guys!" Numbuh 2 said, honking his horn impatiently. "I'm getting impatient here."

"Now I'm _really_ not letting you go!" Warren screeched.

Matt turned to the boy, putting a hand on his growing shoulder. "Look, Warren," Matt began, a soft smile playing across his lips. "We're only going to be out for just a few hours, or maybe days. But I'll come back."

Warren looked away, his eyes, his lips, his face turning sad. "You're the only friend I have..." Warren talked in a small voice. Matt hugged his friend tightly.

"I'll be back," he said, releasing his friend. Matt followed Caden (who had followed Ben) inside the vehicle. "Take care of my cousin for me!"

Warren watched as the vehicle flew away until it was only a mere dot in the sky.

* * *

_"You know that you're not supposed to be here," Ben said at the young girl. He eyed at the girl, sitting so small at the rock that had supported her back. "You're too young to be here!"_

_Indeed he was right, the girl looked (and is) eight. She had short black hair and wore an oversized blue jacket that had wrapped her small figure. She was sitting so small with a huge stone at her back for support. The fire had reflected yellow light on her skin._

_"I..." the girl whimpered. "...I'm sorry..."_

_Ben was shocked by the tone. He cautiously eyed the girl once more. "D..." Ben said, feeling guilty of himself. "...don't cry."_

_The girl had continued to cry. She hid her face in her arms as her small body pumped quickly with every whimper she let out. Ben was feeling so guilty right now. It had been a hard day for him and he was beat from battling from Fusion Monster to Fusion Monster. This was his cause for his grumpiness._

_"C'mon kid," Ben said, nearing the girl. "Don't cry."_

_The girl looked at what she was seeing now. His face has gone softer, his eyes kinder and his lips formed into a sad smile. Her tears still went down from the sides of her cheeks, her mouth still frowning. Her green orbs still showed sadness._

_Ben sat down beside the girl and looked into the fire. "My name's Ben," he said, smiling at the girl._

_"I..." the girl continued. "...I'm Reed."_

_Reed continued to look at Ben as he was still smiling back. "I'm sorry for a while back," he apologized, his face showing guilt. The girl didn't answer. "If you're still mad at me, then go ahead..."_

_"I'm not mad," Reed said, as she pushed her legs closer to her chest. "I... I just miss my brother..."_

_"Is that why you're here?" Ben asked. The girl just nodded her head._

_A deafening silence occured between the two. Ben wasn't the silent type though and he badly wanted for silence to go away every time it occured. "Reed...?" he said, breaking the silence finally. "...Reed...?"_

_He looked at his side and saw the little girl sleeping. She had her head leaning on his upper arm. Her silent snores ringing through his ears and her tear-stained and fear-stricken face now calmed down._

_Maybe he could like this silence for once._

_He put his arm around the sleeping girl and said, "I'm going to get you to Sector V safely... no matter what happens..."_

"Ben..."

"Nng..."

"Ben! Wake up!"

"Nnnnng..."

"Ben! Wake up! We're crash-landing!"

That defenitely woke Ben up as he looked around him. Numbuh 2 was trying to control the vehicle in vain as he saw Matt pulling him (to get the C.O.O.L.B.U.S rise up in the sky again). He looked at his side as Caden was fear-stricken at the situation. He rose up and went to the driver's seat.

"What happened?!" he had managed to ask in the middle of the situation.

"We were attacked!" Numbuh 2 replied as he kept pulling on the control. "C'mon! Help me pull this stupid thing up!! You too, Caden!!"

Ben went behind Matt as he wrapped his hands around the boy and pulled. Caden had done the same with Ben as they all tried to get the C.O.O.L.B.U.S up in the air again.

"There's no use!" Caden said as she stopped pulling. "We need to jump!"

Ben and Matt had let go too. "Jump?!" they both panicked in unison.

"Caden's right!" Numbuh 2 said, still trying to pull the thing up. "You have to jump!! I'll stay here and try to get this thing up again!"

Caden, Ben and Matt had ran to the bus door in panic. Matt had picked up two backpacks and gave them to Ben and Caden as they catched it with ease.

"What are these for?!" Caden screamed.

"Parachutes!" Matt answered back, panick obviously in his tone.

"There are only two!" Ben said, putting one on, "How about you?!"

"I'll manage!" Matt said, a nervous smile visible on his lips. "We have to leave one for Numbuh 2!"

Caden, in panic, had found the right lever to open the door. They could feel the sudden rush of wind against their faces, their hair blowing everywhere.

"JUMP!!" Ben cried as he jumped first out. Caden held Matt's hand, much to his surprise. She jumped out as the force forced Matt to fall out.

Matt looked at Caden's face. Her eyes were twitching from the rush of wind against them. They watched Ben as he followed ahead, pulling a string out of his backpack and a parachute successfully activated.

Matt could feel Caden's hand squeeze his. "Hold on!" Caden cried. She pulled the string and the parachute activated.

_THUMP!!_

Ben got on to his knees and hands as he raised his head, looking around. They were at the abandoned Foster's Home, they were in the backyard of it at least. He looked up, expecting to see the C.O.O.L.B.U.S, but as he looked up, he saw a figure jump out and fly away using its jetpack.

He heard his Nanocom beep. Ben took it out of his pocket as Numbuh 2's voice rang out. "Good luck on the mission, Ben!" he said.

"Thanks," Ben said. He got to his feet, wiped off the grass residues off of his clothes and body.

"Ben!!"

He turned around to see Caden running to him. "Hey!" Ben said, waving back. When she had reached him, he saw more evidently that her face had few scratch marks and her hair beheld few leaves.

It wasn't that, though, that had scared him. It was her face. It was showing fear and concern at the same time. Her eyes were glistening with upcoming tears and when she had opened her chapped mouth, it had scared him more.

"Ben... it's Matt."

* * *

**So, I'm ending it once again there. It's nearing 1 am here, and I am soooo dead. I started this late already, actually. I've been doing a PowerPoint presentation on "The Basics of Drawing." So yeah.**

**Thanks to Miya-chan, also known as windrunner21 in deviantART. She helped me make some events here like the plane crashing and such.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! (anonymous reviews accepted. They are reviews after all)**


	10. Chapter 10: The Beginning in Foster's

**STILL BEING VAGUE!! (puts out an annoying smile that could annoy you so much)**

* * *

**Chapter Ten:**

**The Beginning in Foster's**

"Hurry up!!" Caden cried, with fear evident in her voice. She was on the verge of tears as she ran ahead of Ben. She tried to carry her legs as fast as she could. "Hurry!!"

"I am, I am!!" Ben replied, panting. He wanted to keep up with Caden's speed but sadly, he couldn't. He didn't know why Caden was panicking, considering that they were off the crashing vehicle already.

Caden pushed some branches out of the way as her breathing was beginning to heighten. Tears were dropping from her eyes. Her hair was messy from the turbulence and her hands, legs and face were covered with scratch marks. They were in the backyard labyrinth but it didn't matter to her. She had known her way from the start

Ben kept running as fast as he could. He couldn't take any guesses of what she was afraid of until he had seen it. Finally, he had seen his group-mate stop. He lowered his speed as he stopped beside her. Caden was trembling at what she was seeing, her face was still fear-stricken and her lips quivered as much as her body was. Ben followed her gaze and saw, in the middle of a clearing was a lifeless body, lying face down.

"Matt," Ben said as he jogged towards the body. He overturned the younger boy's body and supported his upper body on his arm. Matt's head followed the direction of gravity. His brown hair was disheveled and his clothes tattered at some hems, cuts were seen at some parts of his body. Ben had noticed crimson blood dripping from the side of his mouth down to his chin. He wiped it off with his thumb as the blood smudged his finger.

"W..." Caden said, stuttering, her voice trying to sound like her usual but failing. "...Will he be okay?"

Ben eyed blood falling on the side [opposite of the side of the blood from the mouth] of his face. He traced the source, leading it to the uppermost part of his forehead. He quickly grabbed his wrist. He felt his pulse pumping underneath his fingers (index and middle). He placed his left ear on Matt's chest as he could hear the regular beating of his heart.

"I think so," Ben said. "He's still alive. But he's losing some blood."

Caden sighed in relief. All panic and fear had gotten away. "Thank goodness he's still alive," she said.

Ben settled the Matt's struggling (for life) body on the grass as his left hand went up to his right shoulder. But he had heard a ripping sound even before he had ripped his sleeve. "Here," he had heard as he looked at his back. Caden was handing him a ripped sleeve of her jacket. "Just get it." He hesitantly took the sleeve and wrapped it around Matt's forehead.

"That should do it," Ben said, his face still staring blankly at his work even it did mean an achievement. "Caden," he called.

Caden looked at him quizzically as Ben slowly got up. "What?" she asked.

"Help me here," Ben said as he kneeled on his one knee, his other leg giving him a proper stance. "Help me get Matt's body on my back." Caden jogged near the head of Matt. She lifted the head a little and her knee replaced the support on his head. She lifted Matt from his upper torso.

"How could a boy this lanky be _this _heavy?" Caden groaned. She tried to lift the knocked-out body as hard as she could and had successfully propped him on Ben's back.

Ben locked his arms under the younger boy's knees and stood up. People back at Sector V had said once that Ben had a bad posture but if they saw him carrying the boy, people would comment that his posture was worse than before. As he stood up, he looked at the abandoned Foster's Home. It was scarier than the usual.

"What now?" Caden asked as she followed the older boy's gaze.

"I guess we go into that _thing_."

* * *

Caden had managed to get Matt's heavy body off of Ben's aching back onto the dusty old mattress. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead with a sigh. Ben stretched and cocked his back backwards.

They had managed to get in the Foster's Home unseen. A population of Fusion Monsters had been roaming around and whenever they met one or two, Caden had shot them with her shattergun. When they had roamed around the Foster's Home, Ben had whined about how heavy the boy was so they had decided to get into a bedroom, and locked the door.

"Oooh..." Ben moaned. "...that boy's heavy."

Caden scowled on behalf of her friend. "Maybe he _is_ heavy," she said, as she stood up straight and folded her arms in front of her chest. "But don't go around saying he is even if he _is_ knocked-out."

Ben was now stretching his arms as he cocked a brow at the girl. "You like him, don't you?" he managed to tease.

Caden, on the other hand, turned beet red as she looked away, growing nervous. "I do not!" she scoffed arrogantly.

"I always knew you had a _thing_ for him," Ben teased as he began poking her arm.

Caden looked away, still too stubborn to say anything. She shoved away Ben's poking finger but he still poked at her. She didn't like this at all. If only she was guiding this mission, she would have scolded him now. She finally managed to slap Ben's finger.

"Ow!" Ben cried, pulling his finger away. "That hurt, you know!"

Caden turned away from the boy and headed to the bedroom door. "I'm going to check something out," she said as she marched.

"Wait!" Ben said as he stopped her by holding on to her shoulder. "_I _will go checking. You have to stay here and look after your..." Ben trailed off as he snickered a bit and gulped. "...your _friend_."

Caden had _humph_-ed at what he said and stuck out a bitter tongue at the boy when the door had closed. When she was sure he had left, she sighed as he looked at the sleeping boy on the mattress.

"Please be fine..."

* * *

Ben walked through the halls of the house. He made sure that with every step he took, the floor wouldn't creek. He thought he wasn't as heavy as Matt can be when he'll be fifteen and no weapon made an extra weight on him. Afterall, he always had a weapon on his wrist, the Omnitrix.

He could've sworn a swarm of Fusion Monsters had laid before him. He observed them as they had roamed around. He was careful that he wouldn't be seen or he wouldn't make noise. But it wasn't that what had him alarmed. He could feel a strong set of vibrations occur in his pocket. It made a little beep and when it had, he knew he had limited time to escape.

Ben quickly ran to the nearest door, opened it then closed it behind him, careful not to make unnecessary sounds. He found the lock and had managed to lock it. He sighed in relief as he let himself slide down the door and sit on the floor. He quickly grabbed his Nanocom and activated it.

He looked at the small device as a hologram appeared before his very eyes. Ben was a bit surprised at who he was seeing in the hologram. It was the first time, actually, that he had received a message from her.

"Mandy?" Ben quizzically asked. "What are you--?"

"You need to abandon the mission," the hologram Mandy said. Even if it was a hologram, he could still feel Mandy's eyes piercing his.

"Abandon the mission?!" Ben said, with hard confusion written all over his face and his voice.

"Abandon the mission," Mandy repeated. "You'll endanger _both_ the kids' lives."

"I don't get it, Mandy!" Ben cried. "You gave me this mission and I'll end it."

Mandy's cold eyes locked Ben's. "Do I _need_ to repeat myself?" she asked, her tone wasn't appropriate for a girl like her at all. "Abandon it now. If you don't do it, you'll put _three_ lives on the line, and one of them is yours."

"No," was Ben's final statement. "I _won't_ abandon the mission."

"Ben!!" Mandy shouted, her voice getting scarier by the minute. Ben had quickly cut the line as he was quite satisfied with himself that he had put it down in time. He knew he was making a bad decision but he had felt confident over it. Well, he made two bad decisions this day. One was that he didn't listen to Mandy and two, that he had quit the conversation. He knew he was going to die when he comes home and Mandy will gain two points on her score board.

He felt his Nanocom vibrate as it followed beeping sounds. He quickly lifted his occupied hand and turned on the Nanocom.

A hologram of Caden had been now showing on his Nanocom. "Caden?!" Ben asked in shock.

"Ben!!" the hologram began. "Come here quick!! We're being under attack!! Hurry!! Be---!!" But it had been short-lived as Ben stared at the deactivated Nanocom.

"Caden!! Caden!!" he screamed at the small device as he had shaked it. "C'mon!! Pick up!!"

Just then, he heard a high pitched scream.

* * *

**12:07 am. I'm dead. Anyway. So let's just end it there for a while. I know you're getting irritated of me being vague already. But don't worry, once this series is done, I'm done too being vague.**

**Anyway, thanks again to Miya-chan who had helped me in this chappie. And I'm sorry to Eve for leaving too much cliffies ^^;;**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! ^3^**


	11. Chapter 11: The Struggle to Survive I

**Wow... nice reviews!! Thank you very much!! Hugs to you all!! ^^**

**The reason why I don't name any Fusion Monster and only refer them as a Fusion Monster is because that I only know Fusion Monsters up to Level 4 of the game. I don't have Unlimited Access and therefore cannot go into the past... so... my apologies.**

**Anyway, so I hope this will make you happier, Eve. To the story!!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven:**

**The Struggle to Survive I**

Caden shot her shattergun at a Fusion Monster as it came closer to her. Her current mission (more of a drive actually) was to protect her unconscious friend from the monsters. A ray from the weapon had broken a monster into pieces as some of the Fusion Matter had hit her [but at which, she didn't mind].

She looked back at the rusty and dusty old double-decker, eyeing Matt's resting figure. She sighed as she still saw a sign of life but she was definitely caught off guard. As small as its brain is (or maybe none at all), a Fusion Monster had noticed her status [in matters of being on guard or whatnot] and had successfully knocked her off.

Caden was thrown at the other side of the room, her back hitting the wall. She grunted as she fell down, face first. Her hair was now off of its ponytail and all over. Her shattergun was out of her reach, her body was frail. She tried to prop herself up with her right arm but had found it hard to do so since she had hit the wall with full force.

"No..." she grunted. Caden tried to get up slowly, careful not to hurt her body further. She slowly walked to the weapon, and picking it up. She could now feel the slightly-heavy weight of her shattergun seeing how as she lacked strength. With all her remaining willpower and strength, she pointed the weapon at the advancing (towards Matt) Fusion Monster.

"I won't let you..." Caden said, readying herself. But she had suddenly felt cold. It wasn't her but the room's temperature had been going down. She could feel the cold stinging sensation on her exposed legs and exposed right arm (she had torn her sleeve for Matt's wound). When she had looked back at the Fusion Monsters, they were caged in cold hard ice until to the advancing Fusion Monster.

"Need help?" a moth-like blue creature came flying in the room. Caden looked at the creature with puzzled eyes.

"Ben?" Caden called as Big Chill dropped in front of the rusty old double-decker. Caden walked near him as she observed the ice-wrapped Fusion Monsters. "Is this... ice?" she asked, knocking on one of the creatures in curiosity.

"Yeah," Big Chill answered back then turned to Caden. "Quick, help me get Matt on my back!" Caden turned to the knocked-out body on the dusty matress. She leaned towards Matt, picked him up by under his arms and hastily, yet carefully, put him on the alien's back.

Caden eyed the nearby ice-wrapped monster. She was shocked as the ice slowly cracked. Big Chill followed the panicked girl's gaze. "We need to get out of here!" he commented. Big Chill opened his wings and swooped Caden up and flew out of the room.

It was a joy to Caden that she had felt flying without a plane but sadly, it was not time to be happy. If you were stuck in a scary abandoned house (that unbelievably once held imaginary friends) like her, you wouldn't be so happy too. She looked down and had noticed her great distance from the swarming Fusion Monsters.

"We need to get somewhere safe," Caden commented.

"Isn't that what I was trying to do in the first place?" Big Chill answered cockily. He made a turn into the nearest corner as Caden could feel the rush of wind blow her untied hair.

"Where are we going?!" Caden asked through the rushing wind.

"Somewhere where there aren't any monsters!" Big Chill's raspy voice heightened through the wind. He swerved to the left corner as he smiled [I don't even know if that alien smiles] in satisfaction that he had seen a part of Foster's Home where there wasn't any monster.

"Ben watch out!!" he heard Caden screech as he looked on. At the far end of the hallway was an opened dark room and he was going way too fast. He tried to slow down a bit. In failing to do so, Big Chill and company had crashed into a wall, then dropping onto the dusty floor.

The impact was hard as it had knocked-out both the awake people. The unconscious Matt had dropped onto the floor, back first as Big Chill followed, dropping onto the body. Caden's body landed on Big Chill. A green light enveloped Big Chill, causing him to turn back into Ben Tennyson.

All three people were now lying on the dusty floor, unconcious of their surroundings.

* * *

"Darn that Ben Tennyson!" Mandy said, angered as Ben had turned off his Nanocom on the impatient girl. Everybody had been too scared to near Mandy, for the fear that their necks could be the ones broken by the now infuriated girl.

Gwen neared Mandy with concern. "Mandy," she started, laying a hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

Mandy looked at her from the corner of her eye. She expected the fifteen year old to quiver in fear but Gwen had remained rigid in her place. "What is it now?" Mandy said, she had been obviously annoyed and infuriated at the same time. Gwen's hand retreated as she looked back at Mandy, her eyes still not showing any fear of the girl.

"The way I know Ben," Gwen continued. "...he's become more responsible. More mature-minded. I bet he's doing a right decision right now. So maybe you could give him a little support?" she suggested.

"Fine," that word had escaped the aggravated girl's lips as she stood up properly and regained her composure. "I'll be back," Mandy had said, while she left the room. The other operatives made way for the girl, seeing how it is that she had drove them to their fear.

"Gwen, come with me..." Mandy called as she reached the door. "Numbuh 2, keep an eye for Ben and company."

Gwen could hear Numbuh 2 reply as she left the room too. She looked at Mandy's retreating figure. Deciding to catch up with her [so she doesn't get Mandy mad], she had picked up her pace.

* * *

"Gwen," Mandy started as she twirled in her office chair. "Can you tell me... how old is Ben?" Mandy looked at the fifteen year old red-head, uninterest gleamed in her black orbs.

"Fifteen," Gwen answered with no emotion showing in her voice and face.

Mandy turned to look at Gwen, her rounded chin resting on her enticed hands. "How old was he when he had made the promise to the girl?" she asked casually, acting like the question was nothing special and was just a question begging to be asked.

"Is this something about that Reed girl?" Gwen answered back at Mandy's question.

"Just answer my question, Gwendolyn," Mandy retorted back, annoyed.

"Ten," Gwen said as she tightened her fists on her lap in nervousness.

"Good," Mandy complimented, her gaze now leaving the teen and concentrated at the comfort of her own chair. "Gwen, can I ask you something?"

_'You already are...'_ Gwen thought but was too hesitant to say. After all, Mandy didn't like sarcasm under her roof. "Go ahead," Gwen answered to the girl.

She could see Mandy holding two flesh-colored folders into her left hand and a pencil on the other. "It's for my Math homework," Mandy said before adding anything else. "What is eight plus five?"

_'This is a joke, right?'_ Gwen thought yet again. "Wouldn't that be thirteen?" Gwen said, cocking a brow at the girl.

Mandy turned to face the fifteen year old now as she dropped the two folders she was holding. The two folders dropped on the steel-colored table. The two of them opened as they dropped, allowing Gwen to see the contents.

Gwen looked at Mandy's devious eyes. They had seemed to gleam before her. Knowing Mandy inside five years, that look reminded Gwen that she had found an answer to a question.

"Can you please check these for me?" Mandy commented as Gwen's eyes grew wide in shock.

* * *

Caden's eyes slowly opened. She could feel strands of her hair playing in front of her face. She remembered having her hair loose before she was delved into the realm of sleep and unconsciousness.

She propped herself on her right elbow, suddenly feeling a cushion-y feeling underneath her. Caden knew she was on a bed. A dusty old bed to be exact. Suddenly, she felt a pang of pain go through her head. Her hand quickly touched her head and had a weird feeling she had hit her head on a wall. She grunted.

"You awake?" a boy's voice passed through her ears. She looked ahead of her and saw a boy sitting in front of a bonfire. He had a brown hair and a well-built body, but that was all Caden could process in her mind.

"Yeah..." Caden replied still clutching onto her head. She sat on the edge of the bed and slowly walk to the fire. "...Matt?"

"I wish I was but no," Ben teased. Caden swore she could see his annoying trademark smirk.

"Haha," Caden replied sarcastically as she settled herself down beside Ben's right. Her eyes bathed the fire before her. "How did _that_ get in there?"

"Swampfire," Ben replied casually. "And I managed to get some extra wood. It's a bit cold in here and it's dark already."

"Well that didn't help," Caden scowled as she rubbed her upper arms with her hands. "It's _still_ cold in here. What time is it?" she whined, her scowl furrowing further.

"I don't know," Ben said as an answer to her question. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh yeah," Caden said, as it was her turn to smirk. "Your stupid watch couldn't tell time."

"Hey! If it wasn't for my 'stupid' watch, you wouldn't be alive right now" Ben said cockily, exaggerating the word "stupid".

Caden sighed as Ben could see the cloud of her breath. Both returned to stare at the fire they had. The outside was cold and dark. They could hear the rubbing of dry leaves against the outside wall. Crickets chirped. Owls made sounds. Ben noticed it was a new moon tonight, causing no light.

He looked back at his companion. Caden kept rubbing the sides of her arms and breathe out, enjoying himself as a faint cloud was seen. He knew she would be cold tonight, seeing her exposed right arm. He appreciated Caden's work on protecting her friend. He could see her efforts through her exposed arm.

Ben decided to strip off his green jacket, now leaving his black shirt on. "Here," he said to Caden as she looked at him quizzically. "You must be cold."

Caden took off her green jacket and put on Ben's. After which, she settled her own jacket on the carpeted floor beside her. She had felt warmer than before. Ben's body heat had left the jacket and it had contributed to her need of warmth. Every now and then, Ben could see that Caden had stopped rubbing herself and blowing out.

"Hey Ben," he heard Caden say. Ben looked at her as she surprised him by the smile on her face. "Thanks."

Ben was surprised at her smile. It was wholly meant, it was sweet, it was heart warming. Her cheeks, though dirty, returned to their normal color. Ben returned a smile back at her. But he was taken aback by her shining green orbs.

_"C'mon kid," Ben said, nearing the girl. "Don't cry."_

_The girl looked at what she was seeing now. His face has gone softer, his eyes kinder and his lips formed into a sad smile. Her tears still went down from the sides of her cheeks, her mouth still frowning. Her green orbs still showed sadness._

_Her green orbs..._

"Hey, Ben!" he could hear Caden call. Ben shook himself out of his own trance and looked at the thirteen year old. He looked at the concerned girl at his right. "Are you alright? You seem kinda... spaced out."

"Nah," Ben said in reply. "I'm alright..."

"Okay..." Caden said as she looked back at the fire, the yellow light reflecting her skin.

"Say..." Ben began, breaking off the silence. "...do you know a girl that goes by the name Reed?"

Caden looked at him with a raised brow. "Yeah..." Caden said. "She's a cousin of mine."

"Oh," was all the fifteen year old could say. He was clearly disappointed at what she said. He had a feeling that Caden could be Reed, but coming from Caden herself, she wasn't Reed. She was a cousin of hers. His heart sank because of that fact. He could not say anything else but a simple word.

"I could still remember her..." he heard Caden say. Ben looked at her as she continued to stare into the fire, as if she was entertaining herself. But he could see no smile upon her lips. "...She ran away from the KND Moonbase... and when she got home, she was punished."

"She was?" Ben questioned the girl as if it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world. "How did you know?"

Caden didn't take her eyes off of the fire. "After Fuse invaded the Earth," Caden said. "I lost my family. I had no where to go so I decided to live with my cousin until we were taken to the Moonbase."

"I'm sorry," Ben said, his heart sinking along with Caden's feeling of loneliness.

A short silence occurred between the two. A wolf could be heard wailing outside. Matt's small snores from the upper deck of the bed could be heard too.

"Well," Ben said, breaking the silence once again. "We'll have to take shifts after every two hours so when a Fusion Monster attacks, we'll be ready."

"Mmkay..." Caden hummed as she furrowed her head further into her crossed arms. She could smell Ben's scent still left on his jacket.

"You better get to sleep," Ben said, "I'll be the first one to stay awake."

Caden hated it when she gets back to sleep after thirty minutes of waking up. But as for now, she just let the issue drop off her shoulder. She stood up and faced the sitting figure before the fire.

"Would you be needing your jacket back?" she asked as she picked up her own jacket.

Ben raised a hand at the girl and smiled. "Keep it," he said.

"Okay," Caden said as she headed back to the rusty double-decker. "Good night."

Ben smiled a small smile of discontent. "Good night," he answered back. He could still see Caden's figure shifting on the mattress she was lying on. He looked up to check the unconscious Matt. He was still there, unmoved.

He looked back at the fire until his small smile turned into a frown.

_'And here I was thinking that Caden was Reed..._' Ben had thought to himself.

* * *

**Wow!! I'm earlier than the usual. Sigh. Anyway. So there you have it. Another chapter!!**

**Thanks to those who reviewed!!**

**Oh and to Miya-chan! Even if I did tell you a spoiler or two, DON'T TELL!! If you do, you don't know what you're in for. DON'T TEST ME!!**

**And to Eve, is this enough? Well, yeah, I figure you'll say no.**

**Anyway, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! ^.^**


	12. Chapter 12: The Struggle to Survive II

**Hehe... the last one was touching, ain't it? Anyway... just so to spoil you, I'm going to say something to you. After the whole story is through, I will be releasing some supposed-to-be ideas of the story and some things that you don't know and a sneak peek to the next story I will be making. Maybe a prequel or maybe a sequel. So yeah, there.**

**Heh, bet you expected a ****real**** spoiler, didn't you? Anyway, on with the story!!**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve:**

**The Struggle to Survive II**

She closed her eyes, her senses started to fade away from her body as if her soul was leaving. But the moment she knew she was sleeping, she would open her eyes and rub them vigorously. She _had_ to wake up. She _should_ stay awake. But after a minute or so, her soul started leaving her again, her vision began to deteriorate and she could feel her head being fazed up with floating clouds and signs of comfort. You should stay awake, she tells herself. So when she knew she was sleeping, she opened her eyes once more. She would blink several times and then look at the glowing fire. But the jacket had given her so much warmth along with the fire, and seeing as she was _more than_ comfortable, she would want to sleep.

Finally, she sighed loudly. She propped herself up properly and held her legs close to her chest as she had always seemed to do. "Staying up is _so_ hard!" she groaned boisterously, but silent enough not to wake her sleeping companions.

It was Caden's second shift that night. She was sitting in front of the fire that Ben had put up and she was still wearing his jacket. She furrowed her head further into the space between her knees and chest. Right now, she was hating Ben for putting up such plan. Actually, she hated this whole mission now. Why couldn't they just go to a nice safe place to do missions?

"Right..." Caden said, answering her own question. "...This is a war."

She hated this whole war. If she could just come up to Fuse and talk to him nicely over a cup of tea or two and agree to leave, they could've been safe, this whole thing wasn't here and both sides would win. But _no_! They just _had_ to put up with a war and be the hardheaded freaks they wanted to be. And for an added bonus for the war, at the end one of the two parties would die.

She growled at the thought. _'Why Earth?!'_ she whined in her head. _'Why couldn't it just be another planet, or another galaxy!'_

But her train of thoughts had been interrupted when she had heard a creak. It wasn't too loud but it wasn't silent either. She looked up to find where it came from but failed to find it. Her right hand began to wander the floor beside her, desperately finding her shattergun. Her heart pounded against her chest, a sweat bead had fallen from her temple. Her eyes never left from scanning the old room.

"Show yourself!" Caden said as she hastily pointed her gun to nothing. "I have a weapon and I'm not afraid to use it!" she threatened as she began to stand herself up. She pointed her weapon to different direction in hopes of firing it at the intruder.

"I said show your-- oof!" she said, not having a chance to finish her sentence as she had bumped into a figure. She turned around and screamed. She dropped her shattergun in surprise as it slided to the other side of the room with a series of clanks. When she was screaming, a hand had covered her mouth and another hand had pushed her to the nearby wall.

"Ssh!!" a familiar voice had said. She now looked at the dimly-lit figure that had her screaming. "You're going to wake Ben up!" The figure looked at both sides and sighed. It slowly took its hand off of Caden's mouth.

"Matt?!" Caden cried silently with a smile. "You're okay!" She wrapped her arms around Matt's lanky figure and locked him into a hug. But when she realized what she was doing and realized what image should she be showing, she let go quickly and scowled at the boy.

"I mean..." Caden said, a hint of pink dashed across her cheeks. "...Wow... you're fine..." she said emotionlessly as she walked to the other side of the room and picked up her shattergun. She then made another quick trip back to the other side and eyed the now well boy.

"What were you doing? You nearly scared me to death," she said, crossing her arms and eyed angrily at the now sitting figure.

"Do you _really_ expect me to sleep throughout the mission?" Matt smirked.

Caden _humph_-ed at the boy, being that her answer, and sat down with him, settling her weapon beside her. A small silence occurred in the room, and her lips had taken time to turn from a scowl to a sweet smile. "How are you?" she asked.

"It still hurts a bit but other than that, I'm okay," Matt answered as he rubbed his hair from out of its place. His eyes wandered around the room. But what had captured his eye was a lying green jacket on the floor. He looked back at his awake companion and had noticed something new.

"Is that Ben's jacket?" Matt asked, pointing to the jacket that wrapped the girl's body.

"Yeah, so?" Caden asked, cocking a brow at the boy. "Is that a crime?"

"It's just that..." Matt said, his words trailing off. He had been replaced by a hint of jealousy as he looked back at the girl, crossing his arms. "Why do _you_ have it?"

Caden sighed. She grabbed her jacket that had been lying on the carpeted floor and held it up for Matt to see. "Does _this_ answer your question?" she asked back, showing off her jacket with a ripped-off right sleeve. She then pointed to where Matt's forehead was.

Matt's hand wandered his forehead until he had felt fabric wrapped around it. He felt something quite hard along the fabric and had knew that texture to dried blood. He was ashamed of what kind deed she had done for him. He thought that he was in no position of asking what she was doing with Ben's jacket.

"Speaking of which," Caden said as she got up. She walked to a certain direction in the room as Matt watch her disappear in the darkness. He sighed as he propped his head on his cradling arm. He heard a series of footsteps a few moments later and when he looked at where Caden disappeared, he saw her appearing, holding a bowl.

He watched her sit in front of him, which was closer than before and settle the bowl down. "Let me wash your wound for you," she said, as she kneeled in front of him, and her hands travelled to Matt's forehead. She slowly unwrapped the article of clothing and when she had done so, she sat back and dipped the torn sleeve into the water.

"Luckily," she began with a sigh. "Ben and I found out that Fusion Matter hadn't gone into the pipes yet, leaving us with clean water. But not clean enough to be used for drinking." She dipped it a several times into the water as Matt watched the little pool turn into a slightly red color. Caden squeezed the clothing before returning to Matt's wound, which wasn't bleeding so much anymore.

"Your wound's still a little fresh," she noticed as the cold clothing had touched Matt's wound. She began wiping some blood off of it.

When Matt had felt the cold contact on his wound, he had complained and quickly tended to the injury. But when his hand was in the process of reaching it, Caden had slapped away his hand without taking her eyes off of the wound. He could she her scowl.

"Don't complain," she snapped at the thirteen year old.

It took some time for Matt to get used to the cold stinging sensation during the session. Caden continued to dip the clothing in the water, squeeze the water out of it and wipe the wound. Matt whined and complained less than before. But instead, he seemed to be relieved every after contact.

"Matt," he heard Caden call. Matt hummed in response as he closed his eyes to concentrate on the feeling more. "What would it be like if there wasn't any war at all?"

Matt slowly opened his eyes. "Well," he thought as a series of hums followed it. "It would be peaceful, everything's where it's supposed to be--" he continued but was cut off as Caden added her own comment.

"And I wouldn't have met that stupid Michelle!" Caden said as if she was cursing something underneath the meaning. Her figure retreated back to her original position as a frown played on her face.

"Well," Matt said yet again, a smile forming on his lips. "I wouldn't have met you if there wasn't any war."

Caden didn't know how to feel after that. She didn't know if she would be flattered, or be in doubt or be happy or be teasing. She just squeezed the water out of the torn sleeve. Matt watched her in silence as Caden began to kneel up again and wrap the clothing around his forehead.

"You have lots of friends anyway," she commented emotionlessly as she finished the wrap with a knot.

"I _had_ lots of friends," Matt said, hanging his head in sadness. "When that meteor arrived, most of my close ones died."

Caden retreated her figure back to where it was suppose to belong. Her kneeling position had caused her cramps. She stirred in her seat until she was comfortable with one position. "Like who?" she asked as she clasped her hands together.

"My mother, my father, my friends..." Matt continued as his eyes grew from his usual happy-go-lucky look into a very gloomy mood. "...my twin brother."

Caden cocked a brow at Matt in doubt. "You have a twin brother?" she questioned.

"_Had_ a twin brother," he corrected. "And as I said, he was one of the many who died when that meteor came."

She didn't know what to say after that. She tried to look somewhere, in hopes to find something to say. And whenever she looked at the very sad Matt, everything she knew she wanted to say had gone off of her tongue with a gulp.

"Well..." Caden said. "...how about Warren?"

Matt looked at her with his gloomy eyes. "Our friendship was just a result of our loneliness," Matt stated. "Warren and I used to fight a lot. We hated each other's guts. But when that day came and I knew his loved ones died too, we ended our rivalry right then and there."

Caden looked up at him, waiting for anything more. After a few minutes of silence, Matt had began to speak again. "When we were transported to the KND Moonbase," he started once again in his melancholic state. "... we both hated the Rehabilitation Center we were taken in. So we both decided to sign up in the war a year ago in hopes to leave that stupid place."

Caden felt what kind of pain he had gone through. She never knew such a happy boy would have had a very melancholic life. Yet, she didn't want to start with her story too, afraid that she might reopen her wounds and might show a sign of weakness to the boy. What she did was just pull her legs closer to her chest and be mesmerized by the flames that sat beside them.

"It's 2:30 in the morning," Matt had stated. Caden took a glimpse at the boy who was now stuffing his Nanocom in his pocket. "You better get to sleep."

Caden had appreciated Matt's offer. "No thanks," she said even she did wanted it. "I should be up 'till three. It's Ben's shift after that."

She guessed that Matt had taken that for a 'no'. Knowing him for a year already, he sometimes didn't want 'no' as an answer. "How about this," he said, his melancholic state being uplifted second after second. "You and Ben take the night off while I stay up and do both of your shifts."

Caden chuckled and raised a brow at the boy. "Are you serious?" she questioned him.

Matt nodded his head eagerly in reply. Caden knew he was serious, very serious as a matter of fact, about this issue. He then supported himself using his hands that he placed on the floor. "I had my fair share of sleep," he added. "Why should I let not get yours?"

Caden smiled at the boy sweetly. He had a good heart for a thirteen year old. "Fine," she said in an I-give-up disgust [in a joking way]. She got up and grabbed the shattergun with her. She neared the rusty double-decker and smiled at the boy again. "Thanks."

Matt smiled in response. He watched her climbed the last bed he slept in. He flinch every once in a while when Caden stirred and the bed sounded.

* * *

Ben opened his eyes as realization had struck him. He quickly got off his bed, wearing his black shirt, jeans and black shoes. "Caden! You didn't..." he called but had toned down when he had seen somebody else's on Caden's supposed-to-be spot. "...Matt?"

Matt was lying there in front of where the fire was supposed to be. He was curled up into a loose ball and his hair was disheveled. He jogged to figure and began shaking him slightly. "Matt... wake up," he whispered.

"Uuungh..." Matt whimpered as he slowly opened his eyes. "...Ben?" he cooed as he was still half-awake. He propped himself up with his left elbow while the older boy had him supported.

"You're fine!" Ben exclaimed shooting him a brotherly smile.

"Yeah..." Matt said as he rubbed his eyes and went into a sitting position. "...I took over both your and Caden's shift," he recalled as he opened his eyes once more. His senses were coming back to him and he could feel himself rejuvenated.

Ben looked around the room. "Speaking of which," Ben said as he quit his search and looked at the boy. "...Where's Caden?"

Matt slowly pointed at the upper bunk with a yawn. "There..." he said.

Ben made sure that Matt was okay by himself before he had jogged to the old double-decker. When Matt was sure he was alert of anything, he stood up, falling every now and then before he had made success in standing up straight. He checked his Nanocom as it flashed the numbers 7:30. His inference had failed him this time, thinking that he could survive the remaining time without sleeping when he just did.

"Hey Matt," he heard Ben say.

"Yep?" Matt replied as he stuffed his Nanocom in his pocket.

"Where's Caden? She's not here!" Ben said, worry written all over his dirty face. Matt was wide-eyed as he was not believing what his companion had just said.

"What?!"

* * *

**12:18 am. Woah... I'm late...:(( Anyway. So there. I hope you liked this chapter. Who would've guessed Matt had a twin brother? Anyway... umm... yeah.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! ^,^**


	13. Chapter 13: The Struggle To Survive III

****

To end or not to end... yet? Anyway... I don't own Fusion Fall. So on with the story

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**The Struggle to Survive III**

She knew it was a bad idea. A _very_ bad idea.

Waking up at six thirty in the morning and sneaking out wasn't the best plan Caden could come up. And it wasn't worth it either. She had no major reason to sneak out early in the morning, she just wanted a walk. But what had she expected from an early morning walk turned out to be a long trip to forever. She had been walking around in Foster's for an hour already, still finding her way back to the room she turned-in last night. Foster's wasn't the best place to have a morning walk but it was the nearest thing that Caden could go with.

You can ask why she just didn't use her Nanocom to go back. Anyway, there's only one answer to that. It had no battery left. Poor Caden, so forgetful to charge it again. Now there was no means to go back but to wander around the dark abandoned hallways of a home for imaginary friends.

She pointed her shattergun to nowhere, keeping her guard up in case a Fusion Monster would attack her. She was still wearing Ben's jacket and had left her jacket back at the room without noticing. She was dirty now and her exposed parts had cuts and bruises. Her hair was disheveled and out of place due to a previous fight (see chapter eleven). Ben's jacket was dusty and her shorts were ripped at some parts. She tripped every now and then while she was walking.

Caden had to keep her sneezes in so she couldn't make any noise. She sneezes out loud, her brother informed her that before. And her mother told her she was allergic of dust. She felt a tickling sensation in her nose. She could feel she was breathing in, preparing for a sneeze. She stopped dead in her pace as she clipped her nose using her fingers. But of course, everyone knows you couldn't keep a sneeze in for a long time.

She _must_ hold it. She _should _hold it if she wanted to survive.

But she couldn't. So, she sneezed. A very loud one.

She rubbed her nose vigorously. Then she sniffed. Where she stood at, she could feel rumbling beneath her feet. It was like a mild earthquake. She prepared for the worse.

She pointed her shattergun to places where there could be possible entrances. She looked right, she looked left. Then right again, then left again. But when she returned at her right again, there in the horizon were a bunch of Fusion Monsters charging towards her.

"Oh no..." she muttered.

Instead of fighting, Caden ran to the opposite direction. She had felt silly running away than fighting back. She felt cold air going through her throat and into her lungs every time she huffed. She had no time to stop and rest, she had to run. She couldn't let that herd get her, seeing herself as the prey in the chase.

She looked back at the Fusion Monsters. They let their big mechanical legs carry their slimy bodies. But when she had glanced back, they stopped after a few steps. And she had taken that to her advantage so she ran ahead but had stopped when she had bumped into a figure and fell on the floor.

* * *

"Mandy Mandy!!" Numbuh 4 said as he barged in into her office.

Both Gwen and Mandy looked at the blonde boy, panting and huffing at Mandy's office door. He was sweating real hard, a product of running.

"What is it?" Mandy asked coldly.

"You've got to see this! Quick!" Numbuh 4 said, panting and huffing a few more times before he ran again.

Gwen looked at the younger girl quizzically, looking into her cold dark orbs and they had showed another gleam. Mandy sighed. She got up from her comfort chair and walked to the door without a word.

Gwen had just followed her. She knew Mandy was a very frank person, her words were little and her actions showed a lot. She was brief in meetings and she was brief in her decisions. As a result, she was a person to be feared.

* * *

"So technically, the other one's a mystery while the other one is Fusion Ben?" Gwen asked, double-checking if what Numbuh 2 had said was right.

"That's right," Numbuh 2 said, as he looked into the screen. The screen had shown a floor to floor map of Fosters. There were two green dots together, one was far away. Two red dots had been showing into the screen too. Gwen was referring to the two red dots earlier. They were expecting only one red dot but the other one had shown up suddenly.

"Hoagie," Mandy called, a tone of command had emerged from her voice. "Scan the other one, check DNA attached to it and check profile."

Numbuh 2's eyes left the screen and looked at the keyboard his fingers were tinkering on. It was a miracle that they keyboard worked perfectly fine even when they were attached together by glue and if not, bubblegum.

The other operatives, Mandy and Gwen looked anxiously at the screen. The light from the screen reflected on their skins and clothes with a hint of blue. Finally, a loading bar appeared on the screen besides the map. "Just a little more and we'll be finding out who is it," Numbuh 2 said. Their anxiety had gotten the best of them as you could see sweat dropping from their temples, waiting for the loading bar to complete.

All in the room (except Mandy) widened their eyes in shock. Mandy, on the other hand, glared at the picture that flashed before her.

* * *

Caden had hit her bottom to the floor. _Real_ hard. Of course it pained her. She winced at it as she rubbed her bottom. "Hey! What's the big..." she said but had trailed off. She looked at the figure before her. It was a little dark around the room but she could see quite clearly.

Dark green hair, red eyes, red clothes, a hint of green on the pants and the shoes, green gloves, green skin. And that distinguishable stench that you'd know anywhere. He resembled the person that was necessary in the war. But one thing's for sure, he wasn't really exact as he was suppose to be.

Caden glared at him, he knew that face somewhere. "Fusion Dexter..." she growled underneath her clenched teeth. She quickly got up and pointed her shattergun at the Fusion. "What are _you_ doing here?"

He was just your ordinary Fusion counterpart. He could talk, he could see, he could walk, and he possessed the same powers as what the original ones have. Only thing is, he was _far_ more powerful than the original, it was their distinct quality that had separated them from ordinary human beings.

"The _real_ question is," the Fusion responded as you could distinguish the marvelous accent the original Dexter had. "What are _you_ doing _here_?"

Caden went into stance, her shattergun's end never leaving Fusion Dexter. "I can take you down," she said, her glare continuing at the thing.

"By yourself?" Fusion Dexter asked, as if in doubt. He opened his arms as his red eyes eyed the thirteen year old. "Reed."

"Shut up!" Caden said, denying the name given to her. Her eyes seemed to change into fear for a while. But she had realized that if she wanted to survive, she had to leave fear behind.

"I heard your new name is Caden, am I right?" the Fusion counterpart [of Dexter] continued, and whenever Caden looked at Fusion Dexter, she could've sworn that he was smirking right at her face.

"No, you're not right!" Caden continued pointing the weapon at him. "My real name _is _Caden!! I'm not Reed!"

The Fusion Dexter started circling her as she followed him with her shattergun. "Tsk tsk tsk," he said as he clasped his hands behind him. "You've outgrown the name your parents gave you at birth. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Caden followed the Fusion. Tears had started to fall down her face as she angrily looked at him. The Fusion Dexter smiled (still, I don't know if that thing smiles) at the girl he was with now. It had seemed to him as a success for playing her emotions.

"I was there," Fusion Dexter continued. "I was there with Fusion Ben five years back. And here you are, five years later, denying the truth."

"Shut up," Caden grumbled. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!!" She fired the shattergun at the Fusion Dexter. She didn't stop herself now, so in order to escape, she fired her weapon at the Fusion Monsters at her back. A blast regenerated on her shattergun once more and had it had blasted the Fusion Monsters out of the way, some melted into Fusion Matter pits while some had fallen. When everything had been done, she ran as fast as her legs could.

Fusion Dexter got up from the blast. He had simply brushed off some dirt off of his clothes as if nothing had happened to him. The Fusion Monsters got up to chase the girl but a hand signal had stopped them from doing so. The Fusion Dexter went to the front of the herd, his hand signal still seen. He smirked at the path taken by the girl.

"This is my fight. For the meanwhile, tell Fusion Ben to find the other two."

* * *

Ben had felt vibrations in his pocket, a series of beeping had occurred next. His and Matt's waiting had been stopped as Ben took out his Nanocom and turned it on. A hologram was produced from the small device. Matt had leaned towards the Nanocom more to see the hologram a bit better.

"Gwen?" Ben asked as his mind was already full of questions to shoot at his fifteen year old cousin.

"Ben, you've got to find Caden quick!" Gwen said from Sector V. Mandy had left for a while, saying she's gone to meet somebody. Numbuh 2 had remained in the computer while Numbuh 4 shouted at some operatives to get out of the room and into their respected battle stations.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked, quirking a brow at hologram Gwen.

"Yeah, what do you _mean_?" Matt asked the hologram Gwen.

Her face started to show fear at both boys. "It turns out that Fusion Dexter is there too!" Gwen exclaimed, her voice worrying over the girl. She looked back at the separate screen as it showed a moving green dot and a red dot chasing the green dot. "He's chasing Caden, you better get to her quick! We're sending back-up right away."

Ben and Matt had exchanged worried looks. Matt's mind began to worry about his friend, fearing what the chase beheld after. Ben was just plain scared and worried about the three of them. But despite that, Ben showed he was fearless and turned to the hologram Gwen. "Good," he replied.

"But it's going to take a while," Gwen said sadly. "The S.C.A.M.P.E.R isn't as fast as the C.O.O.L.B.U.S, you know. Can you hold long enough?"

"We can manage I think," Ben answered the hologram Gwen.

Matt, on the other hand, was wide eyed at what Ben had said. "Are you sure?!" Matt exclaimed.

Ben sighed at his rampage. "Yes," Ben said harshly at the boy.

"Okay," Gwen said as she smiled a small smile of hope. "I'll give you the coordinates where Caden is--"

But suddenly, the door had banged open. Ben and Matt had swerved their heads towards the door and was surprised at what they had seen. There in the doorway stood what they hope wasn't the last thing they'll ever see that day.

* * *

"You heard me!" Mandy snapped.

They had been in the dark hallway for what seemed like forever (to tell you the truth, only ten minutes). The only light that came in was from the window that stood before her, casting a white light at the viscous little girl. She had her back turned to her companion. Her face was scrunched up like it always had been, into a scowl that could never leave her face.

"I want your Reaping List," she snapped once more at the Grim Reaper.

She didn't actually show any fear of the Grim Reaper. Actually, she had treated him more like a bone-head as he is and just another "thing" in the world that never rewarded a special attention. She treated him like a servant even before the descent of Fuse and even during the war. People would most likely think, who wouldn't be scared of the Grim Reaper? He has a black robe signifying death, his whole body was only made out of bones representing the matter that would be left after decomposition, and he always held a sickle-like instrument [called a Scythe] that he reaps the souls of the dead.

That answer to that would be Mandy.

"The Reaping List isn't accessible to anybody but the Grim Reaper himself," Grim had told the girl. He scoffed a shot of pride and motioned his bony fingers to himself. "_That_ would be of course, me."

Mandy pivoted on her heels, turning to face Grim. She had that look that she shows every time she didn't get what she wanted. She had a scowl that would make anybody feel inferior and make them shake in fear. Her hand expertly grabbed the black robe that wrapped his bony body and pulled him closer to her.

"Give me the list or you'll be in that list too!" she demanded.

Grim didn't seem scared at her right now even through the hardships he had gone through with her. He looked at her with full serenity in him and told her, "No body can kill death."

His words had upset Mandy more but had made her tougher. "If I can't kill you, then I'll make you clean _all_ the bathrooms in here, making them sparkle until to the last corner of the last bathroom," Mandy threatened. "And you can't get out unless you finish them all!"

Grim had developed a phobia of bathrooms throughout the time he had been staying with Billy and Mandy. And that threat had defenitely hit Grim's phobia spot, seeing as how he gave up after that.

"Fine fine," he said as he dug into his pocket and held out an old paper rolled with a ribbon. "Here."

Mandy gave him a final glare before snatching the list out of his bony hands. She pushed back Grim, signifying that she was letting him go. The door to her office was in that hallway, making it a good spot for threats and after getting what she wanted, she would bask in her success by herself. The door opened automatically and Mandy was in her way in but she had been stopped.

"What are you going to do with that?" Grim asked, straightening himself.

"I'm going to make some arrangements," she replied, non-frankly though. She stepped inside the office as Grim watched the automatic doors close.

* * *

**...**

**...just review will 'ya...**


	14. Chapter 14: The Struggle to Survive IV

**Chapter Fourteen:**

**The Struggle to Survive IV**

"Ben?" Hologram Gwen called. "Ben! What was that?"

Ben and Matt were both dumbstruck at what they was seeing. There in the doorway stood Fusion Ben, standing up with all his pride along with him. He looked at the two boys, superiority filling through his veins.

"Ben! What is going on?!" Gwen repeated. All what she could see back at Sector V was the faces of two surprised boys looking in one direction. Gwen was also an impatient person at times, mind you. She could feel her ten year old attitudes getting back at her again seeing as she shouted at his cousin.

"Tell me what's going on you dweeb!!"

Ben snapped out of his trance as he looked back at the hologram Gwen at his Nanocom. "Sorry Gwen," Ben apologized as his finger travelled at the off button. "Talk to you later."

"Ben! Ben!" was the last words of the hologram girl as it suddenly turned off.

Back at Sector V, all what Gwen could see was the words "Transmission Ended" glowing back at her face, as if mocking at her. "Ben you dweeb!!" Gwen shouted back at the blank screen. All what Numbuh 2 could do was to worriedly look at the fifteen year old. Gwen grunted loudly, her grunt signifying her annoyance.

"Numbuh 2," Gwen said, as she fell back into a nearby chair. Numbuh 2 twirled his chair as his eyes followed the girl. "Keep an eye on them... we need to keep them as alive as possible."

"On it," Numbuh 2 said as he turned back again to tinker on his keys.

* * *

Ben got up to go into a stance while Matt's eyes followed him, clutching tightly onto his melee. "Ben..." Matt muttered at him.

"Matt," Ben muttered back. "...how many Fusion counterparts have you fought?"

Matt had followed Ben, getting into a stance himself, failing on the way as he felt his melee weapon's weight under his hands. "A lot..." his eyes never leaving Fusion Ben.

Fusion Ben's red eyes scanned the both of them. He scanned their frail bodies, covered in dirt and dust, cuts and wounds and he could smell fear. Fresh fear in their faces, in their emotions, in their eyes. He liked them like that. He loved seeing them basked in their own fear.

"Well," Ben said, his panting getting heavier. Matt could see him trembling as if an earthquake struck him. "Those were practices."

Matt was wide eyed at what Ben had said to him. "Practices?!" Matt cried as he could feel himself getting tense from watching Ben. All Ben could do was nod. Matt clutched onto his sword as he still could feel the weight underneath his hands.

"Scared?" the Fusion Ben started. Ben glared into his blood-like eyes as the Fusion returned it to him. "You should be." Ben started to tinker with his Omnitrix, without taking his glare off the Fusion counterpart and with his guard still intact to him.

"Using the Omnitrix, eh?" the Fusion smirked. "I have ideas of my own." He stood there, waiting for something to happen. While Matt and Ben let tension go through their whole system but still keeping their guard up.

Suddenly, a herd of Fusion Monsters swooped past Fusion Ben, letting in a sudden rush of wind pass him. The herd entered the room with full force as they charged themselves towards the two figures. Ben slammed his Omnitrix as Matt saw a green light envelop the older teen. Matt had no time to be mesmerized by his transformation. He quickly slashed one monster heading towards him.

"Chromastone!" a new Ben shouted. Matt glanced at the transformed teen-turned-alien. His eyes had caught the purple crystals that made his alien body. And using these, Chromastone clenched his hands together and bashed a monster that once headed his way. He watched as the monster boiled down into only a puddle of green blob.

Matt kept swinging his sword at different monsters that came his way. "At your left!" he heard Chromastone warn him. He quickly glanced at his left and absent-mindendly pushed his sword at the Fusion Monster's body, causing it to wail in pain. Chromastone blocked his front as a blast regenerated from his hands and directed it at the incoming herd. And all was left from the blast were boiling pits of Fusion Matter.

"C'mon, kid!" Chromastone said as he easily picked up Matt by his waist and ran with him by his side. As they neared the door, Chromastone held his crystallized palm in front of him and vigorously pushed his Fusion self out of the way. The Fusion Ben had hit his back to the nearest wall due to the exerted force as Chromastone [with Matt] ran out of the room and into the hallway.

Chromastone threw Matt up in the air as the younger boy yelped in mixed confusion and fear. A green light once again wrapped the alien as he let himself transform into a new alien. "Jetray!" the alien shouted as Matt landed on the flying alien's back with an _oof!_

"Do you _always_ have to shout your alien name?" Matt said as he cocked a brow at the red and yellow alien.

"Yeah," Jetray cockily answered back at his companion's question. "Now sit back 'cause this is going to be a bumpy ride!" he warned as Matt shifted on his back. Suddenly, Matt could feel a rush of wind coming straight at his face. His hair getting more disheveled than ever and his clothes starting to hug his young lanky figure from the wind. He twitched at this and closed his eyes. And when he opened them again, he could feel that he already got used to it.

Jetray took a quick turn absent-mindedly. "Head's up!" he warned once more as Matt locked his blue eyes at the three incoming flying Fusion Monsters. Matt yelped in surprise as he slashed all of the three in one move. He noticed that they started to melt and fall on the ground with sticky sounds. A drop of which, had landed on Jetray's shoulder as he let his own scream controlled in his mouth. But what only came out was a grunt from the alien.

"You okay?" Matt asked.

"I'm fine, just a little Fusion Matter," the alien replied as he zoomed faster. Matt started to take off the matter even with his bare dirty hands. Matt had felt a surge of pain go through his arm as he had burned himself from the blob.

"Taking off the Fusion Matter with your bare hands isn't really advisable," Jetray commented. Matt glared at the alien as he shook his burned hand.

"Gee thanks," Matt responded rather scornfully and sarcastically.

* * *

Caden ran through the hallways as fast as her feet could. At some points, she could feel her pace slow up but giving up wasn't an option. She badly wanted to survive this day and finally get on with her life. And letting herself be caught by some experiment-gone-bad counterparts of people definitely wasn't the best way.

She looked back at her once taken way. Her hair played with her dirty face while the breeze had flown through her jet black hair as she clutched her right hand on the shattergun she held. She sighed in relief that no one tried to chase her. She didn't like this mess at all. It was going to scare her, it was going to take the happiness out of her and worst of all, it was going to _kill_ her.

But when she looked back at her road, all the signs of relief had melted out of her system and what replaced it was shock, despair and fear. There in her way, stood the Fusion Dexter, awaiting her arrival with his glaring blood red eyes. She knew she had no way out of this but just to keep her optimism, she thought she was going to pass through him without a scratch and with a breeze.

Suddenly, she could feel her jacket-wrapped wrist being locked by a strong hand. She bumped herself into the stench-showered body of the Fusion as she scrunched up her face into an annoyed scowl. She looked up and saw the Fusion copy's right hand clenched onto the left wrist of hers. Her right arm dangled on her side as she felt the cold body of her weapon bump onto her exhausted, dirty, exposed right leg. He took a turn and locked her to the nearest wall.

"Ah!" she reacted lightly yet painfully as the pang of pain travelled from her spine to her skull, a product of hitting the wall. She could hear a series of metal sounds hitting the floor as the feel of her weapon was missing from her free hand. She winced then closed her eyes from the pain. She let herself slip down the wall but barely touching the ground. When she opened her tired eyes she looked up at the Fusion Dexter's eyes as if scanning the girl that he had locked now. Her breathing went harder as it was barely possible to get a good intake of oxygen within the stench that danced around her nose.

"What do you want from me?" Caden half-screamed at the Fusion, seeing as how all her strength got away from her. She panted once more after her demand.

The Fusion Dexter didn't answer her, leaving her in a cliffhanger of events. She stared at his green-skinned face sternly as Fusion Dexter looked back at the girl with a load of possibilities dancing around his mind (if he has one, that is).

"I bet you're so important to the Earth Forces right now, aren't you?" he asked as Caden stared at him more, seeing the evident smile playing across the Fusion's face (if that thing smiles though).

Caden looked away, hoping to find her rigid answer somewhere. She looked back at the Fusion's searching eyes with tired eyes as her breathing became harder. "No..." her weak response was. "...What makes you say that...?"

"So," the Fusion Dexter smirked, his hold getting tighter at her wrist. "If I kill you right here, they won't care?" His hold got tighter at her wrist forcing a building up scream out of the tired girl. Oh how he loved the fresh screams that had reached his ears. A shrill of happiness streamed down the Fusion Dexter's system. The screams died down with his hold after a matter of moments. All he could hear was the heavy breathing she skipped every now and then. He looked down at the frail dirty girl. Tears ran down the girl's dirty and tear-stained face. The riverlets continued down her face and into the cold dead floor.

She closed her eyes, thinking to herself that it was another bad dream. Thinking if she woke up, the pain on her wrist was just a product of her squishing over it in her sleep. But when she opened them once again, she could feel tears down her cheeks, and her hand being held up and pinned by the Fusion Dexter. She breathed in, she breathed out, giving her time to think.

A mental strike of lightning had awoken her up from her search. She looked up, and found the part he was pinning was at the near-end of the sleeve. She let her right hand secretly make its way out of Ben's signature jacket. When she looked up once more, the Fusion Dexter had locked gazes with her. She knew he was already distracted. She looked up once more at her pinned hand as the Fusion Dexter followed her gaze.

Caden suddenly slipped her pinned hand out of the sleeve, leaving the empty jacket shell with the Fusion Dexter's grip. She gathered up her strength and agility. She slipped under the reaching out arm of the Fusion Dexter and kicked him on the side with speed. The Fusion copy fell on the cold floor with a thump as the shattergun slipped out of his body.

She knew she was losing time and she must head on. She didn't have time to get her shattergun back so she just depended on her extra weapon, her pistol. She ran ahead without looking back at the angry Fusion Dexter. She left the jacket with him, leaving the cold air to caress her fully exposed upper limbs and shoulders. She could feel the pistol slamming on her right side from her belt. Her whole life had now depended on the pistol and if not, her life was in the hands of her remaining friends, Ben and Matt.

But the chances of them saving her was very slim.

* * *

Mandy looked at the Reaping list given to her through threat. Her hands gingerly held the old rolled paper. If, by any chance, she had ripped the old paper, she thought it wasn't her fault the paper was old. Being it the only excuse she had. She was holding it carefully anyway.

She felt the steam from the teapot dance around the room. The heat mixing around with the atmosphere but had been shunned away eventually by cold air coming from the air conditioner. She didn't mind it though, she knew she would have time for tea a little later.

But it wasn't that that had bothered her, it was one of Grim's writing. It wasn't the hand-writing though, he had readable and somewhat cliche penmanship. It was one of the names that was placed there, the tenth from the top.

"Mandy, Dexter's here to see you now," the built-in intercom boomed from her right of the table.

Mandy carefully rolled the piece of paper and tied it neatly into a ribbon. "Good," she said as she pressed a button. "Keep all of my incoming calls on hold." She opened a drawer from her table and placed the paper from where she could see it. Then, she sat back on her chair and crossed her legs. She waited patiently for the visitor this time, knowing the meeting would be a fruitful one.

Besides, it would take long before the visitor comes to her office. From the secretary's room, you would enter a brief flight of stairs and then a Warp Station to get to the hallway leading to her office. Mandy liked her privacy so much that she had forced Dexter to build in a Warp Station and have a Dexbot stationed.

A knock descended on the door. Mandy's ears jerked up in hidden excitement and so did her anxiety. "Come in," she said rather coldly. The door opened automatically due to the person's prescence and Dexter walked in the office.

Mandy turned her chair towards him and her hand gestured him to take a seat. Dexter responded to her gesture and took the seat before her table. He carefully shifted in the seat a few seconds. The tension in the room grew as the silence descended upon it. Mandy enticed her fingers together and settled her head on the netted chain.

"I want you to leave your laboratory," Mandy frankly and briefly said.

Baffled, Dexter's eyes widened in astonishment. His heavily framed black glasses drooped a little down his nosebridge. He managed to push it back up with his gloved finger and opened his mouth.

"What do you mean?!" he exclaimed.

* * *

**To Astro-McPhearson,**

**Yes, I ****do ****have a DeviantART account. You can check it out on my profile, click Homepage. And if it doesn't lead you anywhere, you can just type in sketchadoodle09 (dot) deviantart then .com.**

**Sincerely,**

**gaia09**


	15. Chapter 15: The Struggle to Survive V

**Chapter Fifteen:  
The Struggle to Survive V**

"You heard me," Mandy said calmly. Her dark orbs locked into Dexter's astonished sapphire ones. "Leave your laboratory."

Dexter was feeling a lot about her statement. His emotions were like a potion mixed with rage, astonishment and fear all mixed in one cauldron. He was already clenching his fists onto his lap. His gloves already had creases as his balled fists held tighter. He wanted to shout at her, he wanted to kill her but he _didn't_ want to at the same time.

"What do you mean?!" he repeated once more, bellowing his words at the calm girl. He stood up, pushing his chair with his standing clothed black legs. He clenched his fists further more at his sides, his sapphire blue eyes full of anger at the girl. But Mandy would take none of it.

All what she did was turn her chair to the side and hung her head as her right hand touched her forehead. A groan produced from her rosy small lips as she shut her eyes tightly. Her eyebrows matched her expression perfectly as it crossed towards her nose-bridge. "You're more of a bonehead than Grim is..." he heard her mutter to herself.

Her head went towards Dexter's raged figure. "I was telling you to get your lazy butt off of your lab and into the battlefield you idiot!!" Mandy bellowed at the boy. Dexter's figure calmed, his shoulders slumped back to normal, his blue eyes now petrified, his holds weaker, and his legs softened. Being the genius as he is, he never thought about Mandy's demand holding a deeper meaning.

"How would do I that?" Dexter asked as he looked at Mandy's annoyed face.

Mandy turned around as she waved a hand around, shaking off some of her worries and boredom. "I don't know," Mandy's voice ascended from the back of the chair. "You're the smart one."

Dexter's astonished look turned into another look. He calmed down and returned to his usual serious look. He always knew that Mandy was the only one that can outsmart him. Ever.

"Now get to it, dork," Mandy said from the back of the chair.

Dexter, offended as he is supposed to be, just shook off the insult given to him. Mandy wasn't the best person to pick a fight on, anyway. He didn't even _know_ how to fight even if he is a genius.

He turned around without another word. His steps sounded every pound his foot made on the cold floor. This went on until he got to the door, which had automatically opened upon his presence.

"And Dexter," Mandy called, turning her chair a bit to look at him turn around on his place. His serious face, still on and his snob blue eyes eyed the devious girl. "You'll be needing this." Her final words were that as he through a small device towards the figure.

Dexter knew he wasn't good at sports at all. Pitching some things to him wasn't his idea of giving. He just watched the small device fly into its proper projectile as he held out his gloved hand, knowing it _will_ land upon it. The device landed on his palm as planned. His eyes scanned the small communicator on his palm and closed his hand

He nodded his head once, attached the communicator on his left ear and left.

* * *

Matt slashed one more Fusion Monster in his path. "Exactly _how _long is this going to take?" he asked as he watched the Fusion Monster turn into a helpless pool of green goo. He turned to the now normal Ben Tennyson as he watched with him.

"When we find Caden, destroy Fusion Ben," he replied sternly as he walked on. "_Then_ we can get out of this place."

Both were tired now, both dirty and both hungry and thirsty. Matt learned not to complain on the way, seeing as how it had annoyed Ben so much. They had close calls on the way, but had got out of messes with a scratch or two. Matt looked at his left hand covered with a piece of his clothing. He had burned it a while back when he tried to get the goo off Jetray. He looked back at Ben who was busy keeping his guard up. He smiled inside, knowing that he had a friend _and_ a brother to depend on. To tell the truth, Ben had acted more of a brother than a friend to him, seeing as how he had helped Matt with his burned hand.

Matt looked back at the dark hallway behind him. He clutched his sword nearer to himself as he knew he was doing a bad job in being determined. Seeing that Ben had been keeping his guard up all the time, he did the same, readying his dirty sword.

He heard a series of footsteps. It was fast paced series of steps. He knew it wasn't them, they had been walking slowly. He looked behind again, and had shocked himself as he saw a running figure towards them.

"Ben..." Matt muttered. What was he doing?! He shouldn't have muttered, he should have shouted at him. Ben just let out an annoyed grunt at him, thinking he was opening his mouth to complain again. Matt looked back and saw the running figure nearing them. Now, he was petrified at what he was seeing.

"Ben! At your back!" Matt shouted as Ben turned around angrily but was stopped. He had also shocked himself at what was running towards them. Ben crossed his arms in front of his face, making it a makeshift shield to protect himself. The figure kicked him at his makeshift shield, thus the force forced him to fall on his back.

"Heh..." Fusion Ben had said as he had successfully took down his human counterpart. He seemed to smile at his success. "Do you _really_ think you could take me down easily?"

Ben shifted under the Fusion's weight, his arms taking all the attack the Fusion made. He tried to push him off but failing desperately to do so. Fusion Ben's strength all went down his foot as he tried to crush Ben further, thus completing his mission. Ben's arms were quickly pushed down his face, but barely touching it. His arms had ached as it trembled beneath the Fusion's foot.

Matt knew Ben was suffering. He had to help him somehow. He clutched onto his sword, without thinking and charged at the Fusion counterpart of his friend. Fusion Ben looked at his side, catching a glimpse of the younger boy. He expertly yanked the boy away, causing him to hit the wall.

Ben's panting grew heavier as he watched his friend hit his head onto the wall once again. He was petrified right then and there, as if the scene had scared him to death. But what had caught his eye once more was a riverlet of blood flowing from his clothed wound on the forehead and into the floor. He had been scared before because of that but it had scared him more that his crash had caused the wound to reopen.

Adrenaline started to flow within his system, anger and a fusion of worry had taken over his body. He had lost control of his mind and his actions but had caught a glimpse of what he did back at that time. He had raised his foot swiftly, kicking the Fusion Ben at his back, causing him to tumble off of him and into the floor. When he did return to his senses, he was standing up, trying to catch up with his breathing as he looked at the felled Fusion.

He quickly remembered his friend and ran to him. And when he had gotten to him, he could see Matt's body moving. His back was pumping up and down, signalling Ben that he was still alive.

Matt's brown hair covered his shut eyes as he tried to get up. Ben had supported him all the way, as they had managed to get Matt into a proper position to catch air. His dirty face wasn't the most striking part but it was the blood that had dripped from his clothed forehead. Matt managed to take in a deep breath and exhale, his eyes signifying his tired situation and his small smile that appeared on his dirty lips.

"Are you okay?" Ben managed to ask.

"Yeah... I'm fine..."

* * *

The last hit had hit him pretty hard that he was in the state of vexation. He panted really hard as his blurred vision fixed on the running girl. His eyeglasses was inches away from him and he had figured that they were broken and be of no use. No matter, he thought anyway. He didn't need it. His vision was perfect with and without them. They were for formality issues anyway.

Eyeing the shattergun that was centimeters away from him, he grabbed it as he got up, his past wounds now healing themselves. He ran after the girl although it had seemed cliche to him. He tried a shot of it as he had aimed it for the girl but had missed. He pulled the trigger once again as a force had slightly pushed him back.

Caden was glad she missed that one. It was no time for rejoicing though. A shot once again occurred nearer to her as she was astonished with it, letting out a brief yelp. She had found a corner and ran to it, hiding behind it, hoping she wasn't seen. She covered herself from the another shot the Fusion Dexter fired. Caden found her pistol on her belt, grabbed it swiftly and fired it at the nearing Fusion Dexter. She didn't know if it had landed on him or not but she didn't care for she had got up and began running once again.

She was tired, _real _tired and hungry. Not to mention, thirsty. Her throat was dry and her stomach was empty. She had really felt the emptiness within her. She had craved the feel of food and water upon her tongue so much but it was no time. She panted, feeling the dry air temporarily filling her throat. She wanted to overcome her fatigue but it seems that it was beating her.

Stairs. She had found the main stairs leading to the main door. It was long, but the flight down would be worth it. But her mind was having second thoughts about it. She would leave her friends if she wanted to reach the door. She would feel guilty about it.

But all her thoughts had vanished when a shot had occurred next to her. She looked back, some of her strands messily attached to her sticky dirty skin. Forget about taking the stairs, slide down the railing instead.

And so she did, she gingerly and hastily climbed the railing and slid down it. She wasn't a professional skater, but she had managed to stay on her balance, letting herself slide down the railing. Inside her, a hint of happiness had hit her. She was nearing there.

But she had felt a surge of pain travel from her leg to her thigh. She lost her balance after that, letting herself fall down the railing and let her body fall onto the cold floor.

Her tired blurred eyes looked down at her left leg, finding blood dripping from her leg to her foot. Pain was getting the best of her, striking her slightly in the heart, she felt a sinking feeling inside her... pain.

Her tired blurry eyes fixed up at the top of the stairs. Even through the blur, she could see the mocking figure of the Fusion Dexter, holding onto her shattergun, smoke ascending from the point of it.

* * *

"You think I'm done with you?!" Fusion Ben said as he got up from the floor, looking unharmed. His blood red eyes looking at the two boys.

Matt tried to get up, getting on his stance, clutching on his sword. Ben and Matt's head swerved towards the invincible-looking Fusion. They got ready for the worst, Ben clocking through his Omnitrix, and Matt tightening his hold on his sword.

When Fusion Ben was getting ready for his best attack, he suddenly felt pain on his back, then feeling himself melt into a blob, his features deforming before the very pair of human eyes.

Matt and Ben looked ahead, and at the end of the hallway, seeing Numbuh 4 holding on to his fresh-fired S.C.A.M.P.P.


	16. Chapter 16: The Struggle to Survive VI

**Chapter Sixteen:**

**The Struggle to Survive VI**

Ben and Matt was shocked at the series of events that had happened that day. First, they found out Caden was missing. Then they found out that Fusion Dexter was in the same building as them. After that, they were attacked by Fusion Ben, _two _times! Now they see Numbuh 4, standing there with his pride evident in his figure.

"Numbuh 4?" Ben asked, astonishment found in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your butt," the little blonde boy cockily shot back. "Now let's go before any Fusion Monsters attack us!"

The two brunes exchange relieved glances. Their insides were filling with sheer happiness as they knew that they were feeling a lot safer. But their happiness wasn't up to the brim as they knew danger awaited them. Even worse, they knew that danger awaited for their friend, Caden.

They watched Numbuh 4 run before them, as if he knew where they were going. "C'mon!" Numbuh 4's voice rang ahead of them.

Ben looked at the more injured boy beside him, giving a look of worry. He was concerned of Matt's situation, fearing that on the way, he might lose consciousness. His emerald green eyes scanned his injuries, from his open wound to his cuts and bruises. He felt his heart sink, if he only listened to Mandy and abandon the mission, Matt wouldn't be in a worse situation than before and Caden wouldn't be lost.

But despite all of these, Matt just smiled at him, knowing he was okay. "I'll be fine," he reassured the older boy, acting as if he was his own brother. Ben gave a doubtful look and shrugged. But that didn't mean he was going to give up. Instead, Matt watched him crouch his back before him and smile.

"Hop on, Matt," Ben said. "I'm just worried about you."

Matt rolled his eyes playfully as his smile grew wider. "Fine," he said as he let Ben carry him. With a start, Ben walked slowly because of his weight and for the fear that Matt would be uncomfortable. A deafening silence befell the two as they walked a little later than Numbuh 4 did. Ben was still going slowly, care overtaking his whole system.

"I had a twin brother once..." Matt started, hoping that they'll engage in a good conversation.

"You did?" Ben said in astonishment as his look was somewhat doubtful towards him.

"Yeah," Matt sighed. "I lost him after the invasion."

"I'm sorry."

"No, that's alright," Matt said, shooting a smile at the older boy. "He was kind of like you, sweet, caring... and he looked a lot like me. But the difference is that he had dark brown eyes, I have blue."

"Do you miss him?" Ben asked as he looked back at the running Numbuh 4.

"Yeah..."

* * *

"Mandy, how dare you?!"

Mandy put down her cup of tea on the saucer she was holding. Upon contact, it had made a high-pitched sound. A sigh suppressed from Mandy's rosy scowling lips, a vexed look upon her face.

When she expected the Grim Reaper to enter her office, she had expected a calm greeting. Or maybe a complimenting sentence that left her emotions at ease or whatnot. But when Grim came in, he bellowed at the back of the chair that was facing him. It was the worst greeting Mandy could've taken this day.

Mandy looked up and turned her chair around to look at the bonehead before her. Her black gaze scanned the black-clothed skeleton that they have named 'fear'. She gingerly placed her teacup and saucer on her table and crossed her legs.

"Grim," she started ever so plainly yet so scary. "When I let you enter my office I expected a nice, warm greeting."

The skull had scowled before the petite little girl that sometimes was taken for granted. "How could I give you a nice warm greeting if I had the knowledge that you messed up with my Reaping List!!" he said in one bellow.

Mandy tilted her head in one side as if showing off her innocence. "Really?" she said calmly as she enticed her hands together once more.

"Yes!!" Grim bellowed, his skull may not be made of flesh but it sure had seemed red enough for Mandy to see. "Now what have you done with it, you little monster?!"

Mandy sighed once more, her face not getting any happier. "Well, if you must know," Mandy said, her gaze never leaving the Grim Reaper. "I crossed out a name. The tenth from the top."

Grim was out of words to say. He winced, he stuttered, he muttered and he stammered. But no words could seem to get out of his mouth, and no words could seem to express his deepest hatred at what the girl did. He thought about words for a while but seeing nothing could express his feelings, he might as well let the girl win for a while.

"Fine, mess with my list for all I care," Grim said as he dragged himself away from the girl. She swore she could see a pout pasted on his bony face.

"Whatever," Mandy replied plainly as she once again gingerly scooped up her teacup and saucer and turn her chair around again for comfort.

* * *

She cursed her eyesight for deceiving her.

She knew she had a perfect vision but why is it now that she could see blur. She rubbed her eyes again with her dirty free hand and looked up at the stairs again. A figure of red and green started to come down the stairs, holding with it a shattergun that she once had.

Caden breathed in, once again feeling the cold air run through her hoarse, dry throat. She breathed out, she felt the air emptying her lungs. She tried to support her body weight on her right arm. But it was hard, pain started to scatter through her system as she could feel the numbness of her left leg. She tried to move it but had only moved it about an inch, the longest that she could do. She tried breathing in again and breathing out as she tried to prop herself up in a sitting position. But with her remaining strength, it was hard.

She could feel coldness around her face. Her sweat turned cold and her body felt sticky and tired. Strands of hair started to stick to her neck and onto her face. She tried once again to support her body and watched the Fusion copy come near her. With all her willpower, she raised both of her hands and clutch tightly on the trigger of the pistol. Pain once again surged in her body as she pulled the trigger and missed Fusion Dexter.

She wished all the pain could stop but it hadn't. She looked back at her dragged leg and could already see a huge amount of crimson blood cover the very flesh of her leg and some staining on the dusty floor. She wanted it to stop but like the pain, it couldn't. She looked back again at the staircase but a figure had blocked her way.

Next thing she knew, Fusion Dexter was in front of her.

Tears streamed down her tired eyes as she gulped down saliva, the only thing next to water at that time. "...P...please..." she begged, as she hiccuped some of her words. She couldn't do anything now but to beg for her life. She had felt useless that way but it was the only thing left to save her life. "Stop this..." she muttered.

She could feel the angry glare at her by the Fusion. She looked at his blood red eyes and all she could see was gore and violence written all over it. Caden suddenly felt a cold, clothed hand travel from her tear-stained cheek, up her nose-bridge and up to her forehead. Next thing she knew, she could feel her hair being pulled out from her scalp.

She winced at the pain given to her that she dropped her pistol down on the cold floor. She closed her eyes in pain and her mouth gaped at the movement. She clenched her teeth to prevent any unnecessary sounds to get out of her mouth. She suddenly had felt cold, the air around them had turned cold, that was her inference. She could feel her hands grow clammy and numb. Her whole body froze. But pain still dominated.

She didn't know what pain had forced her to wail. Was it from her injured leg or was it from the Fusion who was tugging at her bangs, she didn't know. She could feel her head jerk backwards as the Fusion's hand had forced it to do. Pain travelled faster in her system thrice as before.

"S...stop..." Caden muttered as the Fusion's hand had gripped tighter on her hair.

"Don't worry," shushed the Fusion. "I'll make it _all_ stop..."

Caden winced again but forced to open her eyes as she watched Dexter's Fusion bend down and pick up the pistol she had dropped.

Fusion Dexter eyed the suffering girl with his red eyes. He felt the pain that surged into her body and he loved every second of it. He could feel his breathing skip as he felt the cold body of the pistol in his hand. He his other hand back harder, making the girl delve into pain once more. He could hear a building up scream from her mouth as he ascended from the floor.

"...Once and for all," he finished as he pressed the tip of the pistol onto her stomach.

Caden could feel a cold point on her stomach. She knew he had focused the pistol there. Her mind scrambled at the thought, not knowing what to do to escape, not knowing what would happen next. She could feel herself shaking because of fear and at the same time, of pain. The pain on her scalp grew more evident and the pain in her leg rose up to her upper body. She really wished and prayed that the Fusion Dexter wouldn't pull the trigger.

But he did. And she could feel the pain scatter all over her system.


	17. Chapter 17: The Omen and the Auspice

****

Chapter Seventeen:

**The Omen and The Auspice**

Ben had now begun to jog towards the little blonde boy. Running wasn't an easy thing for Ben, considering that there's a boy riding on his back. He didn't mind though, it was a good work-out for the boy. He decided to make his pace faster knowing that Numbuh 4 was one of the impatient people to ever lead this army against Fuse.

They had reached the kitchen in a matter of moments. The hallways were getting creepy and cramped. Numbuh 4 shot any Fusion Monster that had interfered in their run, making a good full use of the S.C.A.M.P.P. The impatient blonde ran faster to the back door. Ben was relieved that they saw the light peeping through the glass and into the kitchen. It was the same way as they came in in this abandoned home.

When Numbuh 4 pushed the doors aside with Ben and Matt following him, a gush of wind had blown their hair and their clothing. They looked up to see a hovering S.C.A.M.P.E.R waiting for their return. A KND operative had thrown a long roped ladder from the entrance, shouting at them to get on. Ben settled Matt on the grass as they watched Numbuh 4 take a hold on the ladder.

"What about Caden?!" Matt managed to ask loudly beneath the noise that the vehicle produced.

"A search team is tracking her down!" Numbuh 4 shouted back. "Now get on!"

Their ears managed to pick up a sound of a pistol being fired from the old home. Matt looked at Numbuh 4's vexed look to Ben's worried look. Whatever that was, it wasn't good at all. Matt's soft look turned into a stern, determined face. "I'm not going," he said as he ran back inside the kitchen.

"Matt!" Ben called back as he ran away to follow the younger boy. As the back doors flipped, Ben pushed it out of the way again to let him enter himself inside the house.

"Oh for the love of--!" Numbuh 4 groaned, his yellow hair sweeping with the wind. "Crud!!" he cursed as he let go of the rope and ran back in.

* * *

Fusion Dexter could sense the remaining life within the young girl. His hold got weaker on the girl's hair, and within a few short moments his hold was no more. Strands of raven black hair fell out of his green, clothed hands until finally the hair draped all over her dirty, pained face. He could see a path of crimson blood drip from the side of her once rosy lips. He got a glimpse of her eyelids, falling down before her emerald green eyes. When he opened his hand, the rest of her shattered figure fell on the cold floor. He never felt a hint of guilt strike him. However, he felt somewhat pleased with his work.

"Pathetic," he muttered in utter disappointment. He walked away from the fallen figure, his red cloak flowing dramatically with his direction. "Humans are _so _easy."

"Really?" Fusion Dexter looked back at the now opened and occupied main door. Light started to pour in the cold abandoned house and a shadow formed on the floor. And it was a familiar one.

"This should be interesting..." The Fusion Dexter smiled to himself.

* * *

She could feel pain... sheer and pure pain slowly go through her body, crashing her system and torturing her remaining life. She could feel those steel-cold eyes eyeing her again, then smiling as if he had done his mission. She felt herself crashing onto the floor and feeling its coldness and hardness. She knew that soon, she will be of the same characteristics as it is now.

Caden could taste steel in her mouth, a familiar taste of blood. Then she had felt it trace her shape of face as it travelled down to the floor. Her eyesight was as blurry as ever and she could feel her eyelids drop. But she shouldn't... or else she won't stay alive.

She, then, found her right hand temporarily touch her wound in her stomach and had felt the red liquid coming out of it. She knew it was blood that slowly left her body and stain the floor, making a small pool beneath her. She could also feel her left leg swim in the pool of blood it made by itself. Whenever she had felt blood leaving her, she could feel life seeping out of her too. She could feel her soul drift away from her body as her eyelids began to drop. She tried opening them again, but only for a while.

She never wondered if her strength was leaving her too, she knew it was. And what was left of her was her weak shell that she promised to leave behind a year ago.

She suddenly coughed and it had produced more blood, adding it to the pool beneath her. Pain dominated again, making her grunt and moan. Her flesh wound hurt and she could feel pain crash the rest of her life.

Caden could hear voices from afar. Two distinct voices that seemed to cock back at each other.

"D...Dexter..." she grunted in pain, but had been barely audible to both the human and the Fusion.

She could feel herself drifting away, her soul leaving her, her eyelids drooping. No, she had to keep awake. But she had felt like sleeping. But she knew also that it would end her life that way.

She had too keep awake... she had to...

...but she didn't.

* * *

Matt could only think of running. Run where the sound had come from. He didn't know if it was related to Caden or not but whatever it was, it was considered as an omen. He could hear Ben call from his back but he hadn't stopped. It was as if his legs had a mind of its own. He couldn't be stopped until Ben had grabbed his shoulder. Matt angrily turned around.

"Matt," Ben said. "We have to go."

Matt clenched his fists. "I'm not leaving Caden behind," he angrily shot at Ben. His blue eyes were full of anger for the first time at which Ben had not known. The trace of blood that dripped down his face had dried and his face was dirty. But he didn't mind one thing at all. His mind had only said two things, run and Caden.

"But we _have _to go," Ben interjected. "Numbuh 4 said that there's a search team and _they _will find Caden."

"What if they don't?!" Matt hollered. Ben was taken aback at what he just did. He was petrified, his body froze and when he looked back at the younger boy, he could see sadness now written all over his face.

"I..." Matt started as he turned away again. "...I'm sorry for shouting..." He shrugged off Ben's hand and prepared to run but once again, he was tugged by Ben.

"Hey," Ben sighed. Matt could only glance at the fifteen year old. "If I turn to Jetray, we'll be a lot faster." Matt's eyes widened, thinking twice if his ears had deceived him and when he looked back at the teen, he was already gone. But what had replaced his figure was a flying red and yellow alien.

"Hop on."

* * *

The Fusion Dexter swung his weapon up in the air to hit his human counterpart but ended up being blocked by Dexter's very own weapon. Dexter pushed back his wrench with all his might, sending the Fusion Dexter up in the air but had landed with ease. It was Dexter's turn to charge at the Fusion, hoping it would land a punch on his unusual body.

But the Fusion just held onto his weapon, his blood red eyes meeting his sapphire ones. Fusion Dexter had caught an open part of his opponent, making him smile inside. It was his advantage after all. He pushed back the weapon, its other end hitting the stomach of the poor boy.

Dexter had let go of his weapon and had clutched onto his injured stomach. He fell backwards and fell on his bottom on the cold floor. He could feel a pushing feeling in his throat, making him cover his mouth with his free gloved hand. When his hand retreated from his mouth, he eyed the crimson blood that had stained his purple glove, and the blood lined the contours of his chin as it dripped down then staining his white lab-coat.

Dexter wasn't the best warrior in the army, seeing as he preferred to stay in his lab more than to engage himself into battles. He had to admit to himself, he was futile when it came to hand-to-hand combats and he preferred to make the weapons more. The only time he preferred to fight when he was fully sure that he would be secure in his giant robot, as it did most of the combats for him. And in this combat, he was failing desperately.

He had suddenly caught a glimpse of color not that far away from him. He knew that weapon very well but he had not used it before. Seeing as it was his last resort, he grabbed the shattergun that lied few inches from him and pulled the trigger towards the Fusion. The Fusion had caught none of it though, as he blocked the attack with the two wrenches that he already had.

Fusion Dexter neared the orange-haired and swept one of the wrenches beneath the human, making him trip and fall flat onto the floor, his heavily framed black glasses tossing onto the other side of the room. Dexter felt pain hit his back as the pressure from it travelled fast to his head, causing headache. He closed his eyes and grunted in pain, his head cocking back onto the floor. When he opened his eyes, he found his eyesight blurred due to the lack of his correctional device. He looked up, but it didn't take for him to realize that the Fusion looked down on him, one of the wrenches pointing at his now frail body.

"Any last words?" he cockily questioned the frail boy. But pain had suddenly entered his body, making him petrified on the spot. There was nothing else he could do but melt like the other Fusions are supposed to do when defeated.

"Yeah..." a voice said. Dexter didn't have 20/20 vision but he knew where that voice was from and who it was from. "...Goodbye."

Dexter smirked and closed his eyes, knowing if he was left without his glasses on any longer, his head would ache more. "Thanks, Numbuh 4," he said.

* * *

Matt searched from side to side, scanning for his friend until to the last corner. He sat comfortably on Jetray as he looked ahead until he saw a large opening at the end of the hallway. "That must be the staircase," Matt heard Jetray say. Matt sighed inaudibly, his hope nearing to pieces. "Over there!" Jetray said as Matt jerked his head to where the alien was looking as Jetray landed, letting Matt off of him.

Matt didn't say anything else when he saw two boys circling a body. Deep inside, he _knew_it was Caden down there. His heart sank as he saw blood pool around the frail body they held. Black hair seemed to cover little of her features and was mostly disheveled. He heard the boys frantically calling for help in their communicators as they, too, were dumbstruck. Words failed to describe the grim reunion as he could only frantically run down the stairs.

"Caden!!" Matt said as he hurried down, and when he did, Dexter gave way to him. He kneeled down beside the limp, dirty, and bloodied body. Despite of all his cares of dirtying himself further, he hugged the stained girl even though he knew no response would come from her chapped uncolored lips. "Don't die... please..."

Ben had managed to get down the stairs and stare down at the unconscious girl Matt was hugging. "Call for emergency, quick," he could only tell Numbuh 4. Numbuh 4 nodded and reach for his left ear, turning on his communicator.

"We've got a man down and we need emergency, quick!" Numbuh 4 stated.

"How bad is it?" Gwen said on the other end.

"We've got two flesh wounds," Dexter responded (he was also connected with Sector V together with Numbuh 4). "One on the left leg, and one on the stomach. Patient is still breathing and has pulse."

"We're sending the T.R.I.P.- P.O.D right away," Numbuh 2 responded on the other line.

"We'll be sending her to the KND Moonbase for professional help," Gwen continued.

"Roger that," Numbuh 4 ended.

Ben looked down, worriedly. He knew it was a product of his foolishness, yet again. He wanted to do more than to stand there, watching them panic. He felt hopeless as he knew he had dragged a life to the end of the line with his decision. "How is she?" Ben asked, his face showing sadness in the tone of his voice and his face.

"I think she'll make it," Dexter said as he felt the pulse on the girl's bloodied wrist.

* * *

**I got lazy at the end. Deal with it.**

**I feel crappy... DX**


	18. Chapter 18: Five Years Ago

**Chapter Eighteen:**

**Five Years Ago**

With a shot of realization striking through her, Caden opened her eyes. She could see the darkened sky hover her figure, she could see tall buildings caged around her. Wait...

...buildings?

She sat up and looked around. She was in some abandoned alley, she observed. Fusion Matter scattered everywhere and a trash bin was full of garbage. She looked at her body and realized she was clean of blood and her wounds disappeared. She was fully clothed, she had her jacket over her body and her hair neatly up in a ponytail. She was both relieved and scared at the same time. She was relieved that she was unharmed and got out of the recent battle, but scared of being dead.

She quickly got up and let her eyes look around. "Where..." she muttered. "...am I?"

A high pitch scream had taken her out of her trance. She jerked her head side to side, looking for the scream. But her eyes caught something else. A figure was seen running down the alley, clocking through his watch. Caden had compared it to a man late for a meeting. But it was no time to be reminiscing, she ran to the corner and caught the figure's features very well.

"Ben...?" she called but the boy didn't turn back to say hi. Instead, a green light enveloped the small figure and when it had faded, the boy was replaced by a large figure made of crystals. "Wait up!" she shouted as she ran down the alley, following the boy.

She could see where he was going, knowing it very well, indeed. She had a feeling that she had been here before. Realization once again had struck her when she found the big figure block an attack.

She wasn't in the real world anymore... she was deep inside her subconsciousness... in her memories... and they... they couldn't see her, nor hear her in the least. But still, she couldn't figure out if she was dead or not.

_"You okay, kid?"_Caden could hear the crystallized figure ask in his deep voice. She looked on ahead and much to her surprise, she saw a little girl, draped in a blue coat and hugging her stuffed bunny near her. The girl looked back at the big figure and nodded.

Caden was dumbstruck of what was happening, considering it was the most striking moment of her life. She watched the diamond figure pick up the small girl and knock off a Fusion copy of the kid she saw a while ago. The Fusion, on the other hand, fell flat into the floor and grunted as the big diamond figure ran off with the little girl. She couldn't tell what was going to happen next and she didn't want to know, even. She just ran ahead, following the two figures. She looked back at the Fusion but it remained on the floor.

She had followed them up to a hill and see the big figure settle down the girl next to a small rock. It was the farthest place from the abandoned city and the Fusion Ben couldn't even think of coming up there. She looked ahead of the two figures and could see a floating tree-house up ahead. It was Sector V.

Tired and sweaty, Caden settled herself down before the fire that Ben had made for them, across the little girl she used to be. She looked up to see a vexed ten year old and a relieved eight-year-old. _"Thank you--"_ the girl started saying but was cut off by the rage expelled by the boy.

_"You know that you're not supposed to be here," _ten year old Ben said to the younger girl. _"You're too young to be here!"_

Caden scowled at him but had realized the sadness she felt that time. _"I... I'm sorry..." _grumbled the girl sadly as she started to cry.

Caden just watched for what was happening next. She turned to the boy as Ben was suddenly feeling guilty as he stammered, _"D...don't cry..."_ she watched him near the girl. _"C'mon kid. Don't cry."_

The little girl looked at the boy as she didn't dry her tears. Caden looked at the looking figures as she sighed... she had really missed him. When she looked back, Ben had settled himself near the girl and smile at him. _"My name's Ben."_

_"I..." _she heard the girl stammer. _"...I'm Reed."_

_"I'm sorry for a while back,"_ Ben said. _"If you're still mad at me, then go ahead..."_

_"I'm not mad... I... I just miss my brother..."_

_"Is that why you're here?"_

Caden nodded with the girl. Finally, she could hear silence as she felt her own self entering sleep.

_"Reed...? Reed...?"_

Caden looked back at the two figures across hers. Ben had wrapped his arm around the small girl as the girl shuffled beneath it. She smiled at the gesture.

_"I'm going to get you to Sector V safely... no matter what happen..."_

Caden shuffled her head into her crossed arms as she smiled, "Thank you, Ben..."

* * *

_"Reed... Reed... wake up."_

Caden shot her head up as she saw the daylight bathe her in warmth. She observed the fire pit and what all was left were ashes and a smoke rising up in the air. Ten year old Ben had been shaking the sleeping girl softly as he called once more.

_"Wake up..."_

Caden could see Reed looking up at Ben as she rubbed her eyes. _"Where are we going...?"_ the girl cooed as Ben helped her to her feet.

_"To Sector V," _Ben said as he, himself, brushed the dirt off Reed's clothes. _"C'mon."_

Caden, even though no one could see her, brushed herself and looked at the two figures once more. They started to walk hand-in-hand, as if they were brother-and- sister. She ran down the hill as the two moved ahead. She tripped on the way down but had gotten up and brushed herself again. She ran once more then slowed down when she was nearer.

_"What are we going to do there?"_ Reed managed to ask as she looked up to Ben.

_"They'll get you back to the KND Moonbase, where you should be," _Ben smiled, thinking that the girl would be happy if he had told her that. But he was in utter shock when Reed stopped the both of them and took off her hand in his. _"Reed?"_

Caden looked at the disappointed face of the little girl. Her green eyes showed sadness as she opened her mouth to say something. _"What about my brother?!"_she squeeked.

_"Look, Reed," _Ben said as he gestured for a reason. _"You'll be safe there. There's war here, you __won't__ be safe here."_

Reed's green eyes filled with tears as her lips scowled further. Tears fell once again from her orbs and had shaped her rosy cheeks. She hugged her bunny closer. _"I'm not leaving without my brother!"_ she said forcefully.

Caden looked at her own self. She was guilty of what she had decided back then. Now she knew what Ben was saying, she should have gone. "Reed, you have to..." she said at the little girl, even though knowing that she couldn't hear her.

_"Reed..."_ Ben said as he tried to reach her but the girl backed away. Reed shook her head and backed away once more from the boy. She was angry and at the same time sad at what the older boy said to her. She shook her head again and began to run away in another direction. _"Reed!"_

Reed held her bunny closer to her as her legs took her anywhere, not minding the boy chasing her. She didn't want to leave yet, she came here to find her brother. But she had suddenly felt herself being taken away. She looked up to see one of those Fusion things again... but it was different... this time it was a girl.

Ben was shocked at the sight of Reed being taken away. He heard the girl scream and call for help. But when he started clocking through his Omnitrix, another two Fusion girls had appeared before her. It was the Fusion Bubbles and Buttercup and they had attacked him. He knew he had nothing left to do but slam his Omnitrix and turn into something.

The Fusion Bubbles and Buttercup had went a step back because of the stench emitted by Stinkfly. He knew it was good call, for once. He forced himself up and chase after the flying Fusion Blossom. He shot his green goo at her but she had dodged it with ease.

Suddenly, Stinkfly could feel pain punch his gut. He looked down, finding the Fusion Buttercup shooting a smile at her and then flying away. He could feel himself going down and hitting the dusted ground. He winced as he saw the Fusion Powerpuff Girls fly away, carrying the screaming child...

He couldn't do anything but go back to Sector V for help...

Caden couldn't believe at what she was seeing. Though it was the truth, she couldn't hold anything any longer... she closed her eyes, hoping to go back to reality. She shut her eyes, seeing only black.

"Child..."

A voice rang into her ears. She shut her ears too as she fell into something, but not feeling it...

"Child, open your eyes now," the voice said.

She opened her eyes but seeing more blackness. She blinked her eyes once more. "What... was that?" she asked, her hands still holding the sides of her head. She looked at the black floor, seeing only the end of a long robe. Her eyes traced up to the head of the figure that stood before her.

"G...Grim...?" she called as she could see Grim's bony features and his long black robe that perfectly descended down to the floor. "Am I... dead yet?"

Grim could only shake his skull in response. "No..." he finally said as he looked at the sitting girl. "...by Mandy's demand, you're not dead."

"I'm... not?" she asked once again as she looked up to him.

"No. Now, before you go back to your body," he said as he raised a bony finger at her. "I must tell you the flashback you just had was something to clear up your emotions, making you understand what really had happened five years back."

She finally stood up, looking at the Grim Reaper. "Why that?" she asked as she looked around her.

"It was the most troubled experience you've had," Grim explained as he shrugged. Caden looked back at him, seeing him raising his scythe. "Now off you go," he said as he hit the end of the scythe on the floor and everything had disappeared. Black turned into white.

"Grim?!" Caden panicked. "Grim!" But when she paused to listen for his Jamaican accent, she suddenly heard something...

...voices.

* * *

**Once again, I felt lazy at the end. Updated earlier than usual... deal with it. )X**

**Still feeling crappy... DX**


	19. Chapter 19: Conversations

**This was supposed to be due last week. Buuuut, due to internet connection problems... you know what comes next. This is going to be a long one so be sure to grab some food while you're at it.**

**Oh and just for a warning, I compromised some parts/things from the original series... just guess what. :D**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen:**

**Conversations**

"...Ben...?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you be okay?"

"I think so..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, really... I'm fine."

A short silence. Then a sigh.

"You've been spending a lot of time with her."

"I'm just waiting for her to wake up..."

Another short silence. Then a sound of a person standing.

"Do you want me to bring you your food?"

"Sure. Thanks Gwen."

Then a door closing.

She felt warmth on her right hand, like a person holding her hand. Whoever it was, he/she had started rubbing his/her thumb on her hand. She had felt quite comfortable.

All her senses had seemed to come back to her, her soul entering her body again. She still could see blackness, but it didn't matter to her. A soft matter had caught her back, a blanket had enveloped her. Warmth entered in her body, she could feel the circulation of her blood in her blood vessels. She could feel something pierce into her left hand but with no pain, a wire attached to her body. She could feel a lining around the parts of her nose and mouth, making a dome over them. She could feel good, clean oxygen enter her still dry throat. She could feel the strands of her hair play around her neck.

It was good being alive.

She tried to open her eyes a little, and when she did, a sudden white light greeted her. She closed her eyes again then reopened them, this time her surroundings were clearer. She could see baby blue walls, white sheets, then a maple-colored door in front of her. She shifted herself a little, trying to be more comfortable, then released a sigh.

"Hey there," she looked at where the voice came from and saw a melancholic fifteen year old Ben Tennyson. He was cleaner than the last time she looked at him. He wore his trademark jacket, a black shirt inside, blue jeans and rubber shoes. He was _definitely_ cleaner than the last time.

She forced a smile from her lips as Ben did the same. "Where... am I?" she asked, shifting carefully in her place, but was still pinned down by Ben on the right hand.

"KND Moonbase," Ben stated still smiling but had disappeared after that. "You almost died..."

"I know, I know," she answered back, feeling guilty of herself. "I was stupid and I wasn't thinking well."

"No, not back at Foster's," he answered back, shaking his head then returning to his melancholic state. "Two days after that, you almost died..."

"I... did?" she grumbled, starting herself into a sitting position but had failed because of the pain that shot her on her stomach part. She grunted in pain as Ben willingly stood up, took her shoulders and pushed her back into the hospital bed.

"You shouldn't be standing up, considering you're in a bad situation," he said as he had successfully pushed her back. He went to her pillows and adjusted them.

"How bad was I?" she asked, as she looked at the breathing apparatus and took it off with her right hand only. She settled it aside and looked up at Ben.

"Two flesh wounds and one broken wrist," Ben said as he looked down on the lying girl and took his seat. "Your left wrist will be fine but your left leg won't be. You'll need support to walk for two to four weeks."

"Dang it..." she cursed as she looked away. Her green orbs had seemed to be searching something... or someone. "Where's Matt?"

Ben just looked at his feet as he shifted them a little. "He's in the other room," he said as he clasped his hands together then tried to look at the incapable girl on the bed.

Worry ran through her system as she wondered what had happened to her friend. "What happened?" her weak voice piped as she tried to make it sound more appropriate.

"Well," Ben said as he looked at her and untied his hands. "The doctor said you lost two liters of blood, Matt decided to donate a liter."

Her green eyes looked up at the white ceiling, as she let her body bask in more warmth from the light. She sighed as she felt her right had being held once more. Warmth had entered her right hand as she felt Ben's thumb rub it like before. She felt her mattress shifting underneath her as she looked on at Ben who sat on her bed, smiling at her warmly and heartily. She signalled a question through her eyes. As if Ben had understood her, he shrugged back and continued to smile as she frowned at the ceiling.

Ben's warm smile faded as he looked down at the floor and started once more. "Gwen told me."

She looked back once more at the fifteen year old and answered, "Told you what?"

"About you... and Reed," he answered back melancholy.

"Oh..." she answered back, looking away. Ben had looked at her, eyeing the weak girl carefully as he warmly but carefully held her hand tighter. She had looked at him once again, shooting him a sentence silently.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled even Ben had gotten it earlier.

Ben had just smiled at her reassuringly. "It's okay," he said, looking at the floor once more and slightly scowled. "It's just that..." he mumbled as he looked at her again. "...why do you have to lie?"

She was stricken at him, not knowing what to say or what to do. She just lay there silently, not moving. "I don't want to be treated as a weak person," she finally mumbled after a few minutes. "...I just want to find my brother while people don't know me."

She had been frank with her answer, Ben had thought. It was better off being frank anyway.

Ben had suddenly jumped a little in his place as he felt her fingers lace around his. He looked at her and surprised that she was smiling. "So," Ben started. "Caden's just a fake name?"

She pouted sadly but still looked at him. "Not really," she answered back. "Caden..." she trailed off as she supressed a sigh. "...was my older sister. Older than my brother actually."

"What happened to her?"

"She... died even before I was born. She saved my brother from a car accident. She died on the spot."

"I'm sorry."

She looked at his melancholic face. She knew better not to tell him that, but she had felt better after telling. Her heart was ever so heavy when she had learned it first time around. Her brother and she had kept that secret for the longest time around, their hearts heaving whenever remembered of the memory. But after she had released it to Ben, she felt enlightened.

She knew she could trust Ben anytime.

She sighed then slowly and heartily smiled at the teenager. "No need to be..." she once again spoke, her voice strengthening. He began playing with her hand and faced the lying girl. She eyed him back as the fifteen year old slowly smiled, this time, his eyes matched his smile unlike the past smiles he forced out.

"So..." Ben said as he shifted in his place. "What will it be?"

She looked at his serious yet smiling face. His emerald eyes seem to be searching in hers as she cluelessly looked at the teen. "What do you mean...?" she said, yawning a little as her eyelids drooped a little further.

"What will I call you... Reed or Caden?" Ben inquired once more.

She swore, and he had too, that the smile that plastered on her petite lips was a true and genuine smile she had yet to show off.

"Reed would be fine, thank you," Reed said as she clutched onto Ben's hand tighter. Complete bliss had filled her as she had found it pleasurable to be able to use her original name once more.

Gwen smiled as she nodded in agreement. She looked back at her now-mature cousin and to the girl on the bed. She smiled at how their relationship went and how honest they were. She had seen it all from outside and through a small opening of the maple door.

Walking away, Gwen knew Ben did a right thing.

* * *

"Get ready to be beaten, shrimp!"

"Whatever, old geezer! I already see the finish line!"

"No fair!!"

"Oh yeah it's fair!!"

"I won't let you beat me, shrimp!"

"Bring it on grampa!"

Gwen entered the noisy room as she closed the maple door behind her. She looked at the two boys, one of which was younger than the other, who wiggled about, their fingers batting and pressing the control keys vigorously as they fought in a racing game. She sighed at the immaturity of the two and crossed her arms, waiting for their game to finish.

Finally, the younger boy raised his arms in the air in triumph as he bellowed in the room. "HAH!! I beat 'ya Kevin!" the younger boy said, his brown hair bouncing in complete joy. The joystick dropped onto his lap as Kevin Levin settled his down and smirked at Matt Mitchells.

"You're good, kid," Kevin commented, crossing his arms and his smirk getting more playful and lighter. "Maybe when you're old enough and get a car, we could race in real life."

Matt withdrew his arms and laughed a little. "By then, you'll be married to Gwen," he joked as Kevin decided to laugh it off with him. It was a joke after all.

"Haha," Gwen said as she got up from leaning on the wall. Her arms still crossed and her face straight, fifteen year old Gwen Tennyson walked to a nearby chair and flipped her hair off of her front and onto her back. "Did you know jokes are half-meant?"

Kevin scowled at the girl, feeling rather insulted. "Whatever Gwen," he said as he crossed his arms and immaturely stick out his tongue at her. Matt, who was at the background, exploded into laughter.

"_Very_ mature, Kevin" Gwen commented as she giggled at the well-built boy. She stopped for a while and held out her right hand towards the television set. Her hand glowed a shade of pink as their attention directed towards the device. It had started to glow the same shade of pink and had turned off suddenly.

It was a very amazing thing for Matt to see Gwen's powers in action. It awed him as Gwen, after turning off the TV set, had returned the game console back in its proper place. Meanwhile, Kevin found this rather disappointing.

When Gwen had retrieved her hand, Kevin looked at her and frowned. "Way to spoil the fun, Miss Maturity," he said as Gwen could only return a smirk at him.

"How long have you two been playing that game?" she asked as she began to cross her legs. Matt, who was on his bed, already crossed his legs beneath him. He and Kevin stared down at and thought of an excuse.

"Quite a long time," Kevin finally said after a series of humming. "What is it to you?"

Gwen scowled as her slender index finger quickly pointed to a table. Their eyes followed suit as they looked at a table with two food trays on top of it. It was still filled with their food, which wasn't eaten at all. They looked back at Gwen, scowling on her place. "You didn't eat your dinner, did you?!"

"So?" Kevin said as Matt cleared his throat. The fifteen year old girl that sat still on the steel chair frowned, her arms crossing in front of her chest.

"It's either you eat that, or I'm going to _make_ you eat that," she simply stated.

Kevin sighed and got up from the floor, raising his hands up to head level. "Fine, fine... sheesh," he said in his "I-give-up" disgust, walking to the table of food, getting one tray and bringing it with him to the floor as he muttered under his breath.

"Hey! What about my food?!" Matt retorted at Kevin. Kevin ignored the exclaiming child and sat on his floor, then lifting the plastic cover of the plate.

Gwen scowled at the way Kevin moved. She "humph"-ed at this and stretched out her hand as it started to glow again. This time, it was the other food tray that levitated and neatly rested on Matt's clean sheets. Matt smiled at her kindness as they could hear the older boy whine.

"Noodles again?!" Kevin whined. He picked up his fork to jab the food but as he was about to, his noodles glowed and flew straight at his frowning face. He shut his eyes as he could feel the slippery strands of the noodles touch his face and slip down. Opening his eyes, he saw Gwen triumphantly sitting still in her place and smirking at him.

"_Very _mature, Gwen," he said monotonously and grabbed a napkin.

Gwen retrieved her hand to herself and eyed the younger boy sitting on his place quietly. He was quietly poking his noodles with his fork as he sighed. He was wearing white hospital clothes and a bandage rolled around his forehead and back, making small strands stick out of it. "Matt," she called ever so calmly.

Matt looked at her from his food and stopped poking his food. "Yeah?"

"Caden's awake," she said as she got off from her cross-legged position and supported herself by grabbing the sides of her chair. She leaned forward as she continued, "Would you like to see her?"

Matt shrugged as he looked down on his food and began poking it once more. "I'm glad she's awake," he said simply. "But I think I couldn't see her for a while..." he stopped at his actions and remained frozen in his place. "...Ben's with her."

Gwen looked down as Kevin finished wiping his well-shaped face. A moment of silence poured in the room as they all were looking for any words to say. It lasted for a minute or two until a sound of a fork hitting a China plate filled the room again.

Gathering up all her courage to ask, Gwen finally broke the silence once more. "Matt...?"

Matt didn't look up and only continued to play with his food which also sounded the China in the process. He hummed in response to Gwen's calling.

"Do you..._like_ her?" Gwen asked.

The sounding of the China had stopped and a sound of a fork dropping on the China occurred next. The two older teens looked at the thirteen year old as he sat back looking at the ceiling with his arms supporting his figure. "Hooooonestly..." he said with a sigh following. "... yeah."

Kevin pushed his tray away from himself and sat back, his arms crossing at the back of his head. "Then why don't you go ahead and ask her out?" he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Kevin!" Gwen whispered harshly in warning at him.

"It's a war, Kevin," Matt said as his head turned to look at the relaxing boy. "...Not a dating game. Caden told me so. She wouldn't approve of it anyway," he continued with a sigh as he returned in gazing at the white ceiling.

Gwen sat back, crossing her legs in the process. "He's got a point," she said as she raised her hand, palm facing upwards. "It _is_ a war after all." She looked back at the teenager that sat across her and on the floor. Kevin sighed. "Rushing won't help too, Kevin."

Kevin shrugged. "Knowing girls..." he sighed. "...They'll _really_ stick to their principles."

Matt continued to stare at the ceiling. He didn't move a muscle as he quietly spoke yet again. "Besides... she's got Ben."

Kevin and Gwen exchanged worried glances as Matt continued at his actions.

Matt didn't know how wrong he was.

* * *

He didn't know what he was doing there. He thought, he shouldn't be there at all. Yet, he didn't move an inch from his place and continued to listen to their conversation.

He was eavesdropping and he knew it was _bad_.

Matt slightly leaned his head back and on the baby blue wall. He hugged his legs closer to himself as he sat firmly on the floor, next to the maple colored door of his friend's room. His feet were bare and coolness hugged them and between his toes. He didn't mind it at all though as he released an inaudible sigh.

He turned his head and let his blue eyes look through the slight gap of the wooden door and the doorway. He adjusted his sight a bit, making out a hospital bed and white sheets. A boy in green sat on it with his back turned to the door. It was Ben. Ben was with her.

"Good night, Reed," his low-key voice sounded as he started to lean towards the unseen friend.

Matt couldn't take any of it as he quickly withdrew his head and lean it back quietly yet again. He dug his clammy hands into his pockets and closed his eyes shut. Shutting them tightly was the best idea his mind could ever muster. He pried his dried lips open as he began to whisper inaudibly.

"Reed... Reed... Reed..."

His mind had taken him back at his childhood. He could see his petite and playful figure that he left as he grew older and also Warren's. They played a game of tag every afternoon--- or what seemed like it--- as they wore their oxygen helmets. They laughed as they moved slowly due to lack of gravity. And with eyes like a hawk, he stopped and looked at a certain figure in a certain house. The figure was a girl. Round, plump face, short black hair and those sad eyes that looked from the window from the inside. He stopped for a while, observing some more. Her young lips was carved into a small frown and blankness had overtaken her figure.

_"Tag! You're it!" _young Warren would call as he shoved his petite figure. He would snap out of his trance and return to the game.

"Reed..." Matt said as he opened his eyes little by little, as light poured on his eyes. "She couldn't be... she couldn't be..." He stood up, hands still in pockets, and looked into the room once more. He raked his fingers through his brown hair and blinked. "...Could she?..."

He grabbed the doorknob as he pulled it closer to him and finally closing the door with a click.

* * *

Ben looked at the girl that unconsciously slept beneath the covers. Every breath she exhaled would make a moist on her breathing mask and then fade off eventually. His hand still held hers--- and hers with his--- as his other hand touched her bruised forehead. A small friendly kiss had landed there a while back, he thought as he smiled with full content. He automatically brushed off the small locks of hair that lied on her face.

_CLICK!_

The door just sounded as it closed. He thought it was the wind but something had bugged him, telling him it was more than that. He looked at the maple-colored door and got off the bed, his now-clean shoes touching the carpeted floor. A series of footsteps occurred from outside as he raced to the door and open it. And when he did, the light from the room and the light from the hallway would mix and they shone down on the walking thirteen year old.

"Matt...?" Ben called, stopping Matt from opening his room door. Matt looked back at Ben's emerald eyes with his icy blue ones. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Matt closed his door slowly, shrugging without a word and neared Ben.

Ben headed on inside the ward, taking a seat on his steel chair. He eyed Reed's sleeping, watching her chest going up and down in rhythm with her breathing apparatus. His attention then redirected to Matt, who got in the room and closed the door slowly. His feet was still bare as he stood on the carpeted floor, looking seriously at Ben.

"You called Caden, Reed," Matt spoke monotonously at the older teen, his eyebrows crossing. Ben just looked at him straight in the eye as Matt balled his fists. "Is this true?"

"Look," Ben responded with a sigh as his hand motioned towards the chair next to him. "Why don't you sit down for a while then I'll explain."

Matt neared the chair cautiously and cautiously looking at Ben. He gingerly sat down, digging his clammy hands into his pockets with a sigh. "I knew Reed," he began, his eyes gazing on the floor as he said this. Ben didn't speak any further as he clasped his hands together and followed suit. "She--she was... lonely," he looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember every detail of the moment. "...When we still lived here in the Moonbase, she would look out from her window with a sad face... I tried to get to know her... her parents wouldn't let me... that's all I remember..."

Ben sighed as he looked at the boy next to him. "Well, Reed..." Ben began, but trailing off. And when he regained his voice, he continued, "...she's a girl I met from the past. All she wanted to do was to find her brother... and I... and I stopped her. I..." He trailed off once more as his face wrinkled in regret and in great sadness and aggravation. Matt didn't look back at him, only using his ears. "I didn't know what I was thinking!" he strongly said. A tense silence filled between them. No one had the thought to break it. All what the room was filled now was the sound of the machine that kept track in the resting girl's heart.

"I saddened her... I scared her..." Ben said in a voice so low and was classified as a whisper.

Matt started to scrunch his face, his look get serious by the minute as he dug his hands further. "But she's happy now..." he countered. "... she's got you."

Snapping out of his trance, Ben quizzically looked at Matt as he took out something from his pocket. He looked at it for a while before he passed it to the younger teen. Matt's blue gaze met the object Ben was holding out. It was a picture. A picture of a girl. A girl with short black hair and kinky eyes. Matt reached for the picture as his face turned into a questionable look.

"Who's the girl?" he asked, deep in thought as he looked further.

"Her name's Julie..." Ben said, a small smile creeping onto his lips. "...She's my girlfriend." He let a small laugh suppress out of his lips as he looked ahead of him. "I met her at her school a few months ago..." Matt looked at him in the most calm way he could muster. He decided not to say something, letting Ben take the moment for a while. Meanwhile, he just looked at the way the girl named "Julie" smiled back at him, as if knowing he was there. He didn't know what Ben had said afterwards as he studied the picture.

"Girlfriend..." Matt whispered, unbeknownst to himself, as he blinked at the picture many times and then finally dropping in sadness.

Ben leaned back as it was his turn to dig his hands into his jean pockets. He looked at the younger teen still observing the girl in the photograph and hearing him whisper. He smiled as he looked away from him and towards his direction. "I wouldn't steal Reed from you if you like her..." he stated as Matt looked shockingly at him.

Matt was shocked _and_ afraid that Ben had gotten the whole picture of him being friends with Reed. He frowned as he hung his head and setting his hand down to rest. He felt himself smile as a mixture of sadness, happiness and shock spurred inside him. He had felt himself shiver, not because of the cold.

"Maybe I _really_ do like her..." he said as an unsure smile crept onto his face.

Ben didn't look at the boy. He smiled then closed his eyes and lean back until he felt a his head bump softly on the wall. "Then why don't you go ahead and ask her out?" he stated.

It was only silence that Matt decided to give back. He handed out the photograph back at Ben, then Ben taking it away from his hand. He could feel his eyes water for no rational reason. Meanwhile, Ben took this as Matt's reply. He knew force wasn't the best thing he could do. What was best was for him to stay silent and think of another way to redirect the subject.

As he dug his left hand further into his pocket, Ben's hand had suddenly lightly bump an object. And as if it was magic, a thought had emerged from the back of his mind. He took out the object and studied it very hard. He sighed as he looked at the silent boy beside him.

"Matt?"

Matt wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and look at the boy, handing him over something. A sudden change of feeling had occurred inside him as he wholly accepted the object. And when he did recieve it, a sudden lightning of realization had struck him. He knew, deep inside him, that the object was familiar.

"Is that Reed's brother?" Ben asked non-reluctuntly as he searched the boy's eyes for answers.

Matt held the wrinkled photograph tighter as it folded in his hold. He looked at Ben then back at the picture. And when he looked back at Ben for the second time, he handed back the picture and nodded. "Yes... that's her brother..." Matt responded as Ben looked at the eight-year-old Reed in the picture. The Reed there smiled ever so childishly, a grin that he longed to see once more, as she held the older boy's hand in the picture. He might not look like a brother to her, but basing on his actions, he looks like it. The boy in the picture had his fingers tangled with the younger Reed as his grin matched his lively green orbs, and had clashed his messy blonde hair.

Ben smiled as he took out another thing from his pocket. Matt watched him do so then had suddenly shocked himself as Ben was letting him see a blue handkerchief. Matt looked at Ben, blinking. "Is this Reed's?" Ben asked.

Matt looked away. "Well... technically, it's her brother's..." he replied as he cocked an eyebrow.

"Why are you even asking that?" Matt asked Ben, as he planned to satisfy his curiosity.

* * *

"The girl will be fine," the doctor, a tall man with a well-toned body and a hair slicked back and had matching rectangular glasses to suit, said as he shuffled his hands into his doctor coat. "According to the X-rays, her wrist is fine and her shin is in the process of healing."

Gwen nodded as he smiled at the doctor. "Thank you, doctor," was all she could say.

They stood in the hallways, a good amount of light shone over them, namely the doctor, Gwen and Ben. A week had passed by and already, Reed was able to eat and drink without pain, the injury on her stomach region was healing and had executed lesser pain, her leg was feeling better but she still had to walk with support and she and Matt had gotten closer. For Gwen, it was a great achievement to retrieve a gravely injured person and still have her alive. For Ben, it only had filled half of his expectations and needs.

"If her progress goes on, she might walk by herself by next week," the doctor continued as he smiled heartily at both the teens.

"That way," Gwen said as her smile was getting more hopeful. "...we can go back to Earth with fine results. Isn't that right, Ben?" She looked at her cousin leaning on the wall, expecting him to be as hopeful as she is.

"Well if you need me, I'll be in my office," the doctor said as he began to walk away.

When both of them had made sure that the doctor wasn't in their range anymore, Ben got up from his leaning state and sighed. He looked at the direction where the doctor used as he neared Gwen. Gwen looked at her cousin as Ben took out something from his pocket. "Gwen, can you do me a favor?" he asked as he took out a blue hankerchief.

"Yeah, sure," Gwen said as she turned to face him, and eyeing the object that sat on his hands. "What is it?"

Ben handed the the handkerchief to her. "Can you scan this?" he asked, looking at her with full hope of doing it. Gwen cocked a brow at him. He's surely unexpected today, she thought as she reluctantly took hold of the piece of cloth.

"Why are you suddenly asking me to do such thing?" she asked as Ben, once more, dug his hands into his pockets.

Ben sighed as he looked at her for any signage of trust. "Well," he said, shrugging. "That handkerchief belongs to Reed's older brother. Matt told me that he gave that to Reed before he left... or something like that."

Gwen glanced back at the blue cloth then back at Ben. "Why are you interested suddenly?" she asked.

"I've let down Reed five years ago, remember?" he snapped suddenly. Gwen was shocked by his action, holding the cloth tighter. Ben had realized what he did and exhaled. "I'm sorry, Gwen... I'm just--"

"Stressed?" Gwen said as she unfolded her fingers and took another glance at the object. "You tell me. This might take a while..." she added as she closed her eyes tightly and reopening them as her eyes turned into a shade of pink. She felt a surge of light heat flow through her system. The energy that entered her had exited her palm, passing on the energy on the cloth, making it glow in the same color and hover in mid-air. The past of the object was unraveled through several pictures that played in Gwen's mind, like a TV.

Meanwhile, Ben watched her cousin do this process. It didn't amaze him though, seeing he had seen Gwen do this a million times, from battling DNAliens to missing cadets. He learned to be patient as she did this, scared that he might break her concentration. He knew that Gwen needed lots of it.

Gwen finally pressed her eyes shut as the handkerchief landed on her palm. And when she opened them again, Ben could see her emerald orbs looking back at him. "Results?" Ben asked.

Ben was pressuring her, that's for sure. But despite this, she had learned to adapt. Take it from her; her grandpa used to take them into summer-long trips whenever he can. Surely any person can handle this things in that span of time.

Gwen was rather monotonous of her answer as she spoke. "He's at Endsville, doing a mission for Juniper," she said as she handed back the piece of cloth.

Ben held out his palm and the handkerchief had landed on his desired point. "Then I'm going there," he said as he stuffed the object in his pocket and walking away.

"Ben..." Gwen called, making the fifteen-year-old stop in his pace. "...You're... I mean, _we're_ suppose to escort them back to Earth..."

Ben sighed as he turned around to face her. Something was unusual on his serious face. It was something that Gwen hadn't personally seen for the past five years. "Trust me," he said.

A genuine smile had plastered on his face.

* * *

**Weeeeell...um... that was long. I'm sorry this took so long. For one thing, this is a long chapter. The longest, maybe. And second, school isn't easy, you know. Go ahead, shoot me. But I tell you, this is true. While you guys are in your vacation status, I'm in my ****third**** year of high school. It isn't easy as it looks... D: Having Chemistry and Physics and Trigonometry at the same time ****everyday**** is hard... :((**

**Anyway... REVIEW!!**


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